Fairy Tail High
by xSteleAliniax
Summary: Lucy Heartfilia is a wizard. Unfortunately for her, wizards are being hunted down and killed, and only a few still remain. So she decides to run away to a town called Magnolia and hide herself at a regular high school with regular people. But she soon finds out that she is not the only one with a secret to hide... (Temporary hiatus as of 4/1/17.)
1. New Beginnings

**Fairy Tail High**

 **Chapter 1: New Beginnings**

 **By: xSteleAliniax**

Lucy Heartfilia was curled in a ball under the blankets in her bed, shaking with fear and disbelief. It couldn't be true... Her dad had been trying to scare her, like he used to do when she was a child in order to get her to obey something. _"Don't climb that tree, Lucy, there are wild beasts up there!_ " He would say. Or, _"Don't go into the attic, a spider family lives up there and you wouldn't want to disturb them, would you, Lucy?"_ But this was way worse than some childish stories of spiders or monsters. This was real life, and she was scared.

Tears spilled from her eyes as she continued to tremble. When her father had told her this secret, she had lashed out at him and immediately locked herself in her bedroom. He hadn't come knocking on the door, and she didn't expect him to. The two almost never spoke anymore, despite living under the same roof. Their huge mansion was big enough that the father and daughter were practically living on opposite sides of a small town.

However, some hours later, someone _did_ eventually come knocking.

"What?" She called out, refusing to so much as pull the blankets back to look at the door.

"May I enter, Princess?" Virgo.

"Fine!" She called back, and waved a hand in the direction of the door. A moment later the lock slid free and the door clicked open. It closed and locked once Virgo had entered.

"I've come to see about your state, Princess." Came Virgo's dry voice. It almost made Lucy smile, the way her ladies maid/celestial spirit always seemed to know when she was down. She peeked out from the top of the blankets, taking in her first breath of fresh air in hours.

"Ah, it's stuffy under here."

"Would you like me to pull the blankets down for you?" Virgo asked.

"No, it's fine." Lucy sat up and wiped her eyes. She had cried out all of her tears by then, and was now feeling the after affects of a long cry session. She groaned, feeling sleepy and a little dizzy.

"Are you well, Princess?" The small woman asked. She wore her typical maids uniform, with a white cap in her short pink hair. Her exquisite blue eyes didn't hold their normal warmth, though, they were shadowed in worry and concern.

"Oh, Virgo," Lucy dropped her head into her hands. "What am I going to do?"

"You can punish me if you like." Virgo offered, rather seriously. Lucy spluttered a laugh.

"This can't be real, can it?" She could feel herself starting to cry again and forcibly pushed back the tears. She turned to Virgo, who looked on with that same concerned expression, though now it was mixed with sadness. "What do you make of all this, Virgo?"

The little pink-haired woman thought for a moment. "I believe what Mr. Jude is saying must be true."

"Oh, man..." Lucy slipped back down into the covers. "This is bad."

"What will you do, Princess?"

Lucy thought for a long time, unable to come up with an answer. What _COULD_ she do except listen to her father's wishes and flee? "Like a coward..." She murmured.

"What was that, Princess?"

"Nothing."

But how could she just LEAVE? Leave her father, and her home, and all of her friends, like Virgo. Just get up and abandon them like they meant nothing to her? She didn't know if she could do it.

"What do you think, Virgo?" She asked her friend. She looked confusedly back at her. "What do you think I should do?" Lucy clarified.

"I cannot tell you how to deal with your fate, Princess."

"I suppose you're right," Lucy sighed. "And maybe my father was right as well. I don't want to believe any of this, it's so unreal! But... He really has no reason to lie to me about something this important. And if he's right, and wizards really are being hunted down and killed..." Lucy shuddered. "Then I guess my only choice is to leave." Fresh tears welled up in her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. Virgo came to her side instantly and rubbed her hair.

"There, there, Princess. It will all work out in the end, you'll see. Just try and keep your head up, and don't forget who you truly are."

"Thanks, Virgo." Lucy sniffed, and sat up to hug her. "I'm going to miss you, Virgo." Then she whispered, "May we meet again."

* * *

Lucy sat inside of a large grandfather clock. Yes, INSIDE. He was one of her helpful celestial spirits, and even though she wasn't supposed to use magic "for any purpose whatsoever" during her stay in Magnolia, her father had agreed that traveling inside Horologium was probably her safest bet. She could remain hidden inside the clock, which in turn was tucked away inside a large storage box, which had been placed into a train car on it's way to Magnolia. This was really the only way for the celestial wizard to travel between towns inconspicuously. No one would know that she had ever left her beautiful town... That is, until the Ravens came looking for her...

She gave a shudder, thinking about the wizard hunting guild that was after people like her. According to her father, they have been pretty successful in their mission to rid the world of wizards for years now. Only a handful still remained, and within that handful even less were celestial wizards like Lucy. She would have an even bigger target on her back than the others.

"I sure hope this plan of yours works, Father." Lucy murmured softly. She settled in for the long train ride, already feeling lonely. She kind of wished she had thought to summon Plue, another one of her spirits, to keep her company for the trip, but quickly decided that it was better to use the least amount of magic energy as possible. And summoning more than one spirit at a time took a huge amount of magic energy from her. She couldn't afford to do that anymore.

A few long, miserable hours later, Lucy felt the train come to a stop. She immediately tensed up, waiting for a group of Ravens to come inside and find her hiding place. But luck must be on her side because no hunters found her. After another half an hour or so of waiting, she heard the doors open to the train car she was stashed in, and then the scuffling of feet and grunting of men as they unloaded all of the train's cargo. When she felt her own box being lifted she held her breath, biting her lip and praying that Horologium didn't choose this moment to disappear on her. He always seemed to do that at the worst possible times.

Her luck held, once again, and soon she was placed into another vehicle. She felt the bumps on the road as they drove through town, tossing her around inside of the clock. She banged her head several times and nearly cried out at the pain, but she forced herself to be strong and stay silent. It wouldn't help anyone if she were to get caught now because of a couple of bumps on the head.

Finally, the car came to a slow stop. The drivers exited the vehicle up front and came around the back to where Lucy's box was. They lifted the box up, complaining about "how damn heavy it is," and then struggled toward the door. She could just barely make out the faint sound of a doorbell chime.

"Hello," a woman's voice said sweetly.

"We have a package for a Mirajane Strauss," said one of the men.

"Oh, wonderful!" The woman exclaimed. "It must be the clock my... _Brother_ sent to me." She faltered sightly, and Lucy wondered just how much of this plan her father had told this woman.

"Sign here, ma'am." _Scratching of pen on paper_. "Thanks. Where do you want us to put it? We can set it up for you if you like. It's pretty heavy." The man chuckled and Lucy gritted her teeth at the insinuation. _Pretty heavy_...

"Oh, that won't be necessary!" The woman assured them quickly. "Just set it anywhere!"

"Are you sure, ma'am?" Another man asked, sounding hopeful. "We really wouldn't mind helping a pretty lady out."

 _Yeah, I bet_. Lucy thought sarcastically.

"My boyfriend will be here any moment to set it up for me." She said, voice kind but firm.

"Oh," the second speaker sounded disappointed.

"We'll leave it right here." The first speaker said. Lucy felt herself being lowered to the ground.

"Thanks!" The woman said, and then the door slammed shut, and three sets of locks were slid into place. "Oh, dear." The woman got to cutting the box open as carefully as she could, then pulling back the cardboard sides. Her eyes widened when she saw Lucy curled up inside of the grandfather clock. "You're safe now, Lucy." The woman assured her. Lucy nodded and allowed Horologium to go back to to spirit world, bidding him a silent thank you for keeping her safe.

The clock disappeared and Lucy was able to move again.

"Ow," she stood up and stretched her cramped muscles, popping the stiff joints as she worked the life back into her body.

"Are you alright, dear?" The woman asked. Lucy smiled up at her reassuringly. The woman was beautiful, with long, flowing white hair and a kind face. She wore a red dress that went down to her ankles, with white frills around it.

"I'm fine, just stiff from being cramped in that box the whole way over here."

"Oh, I imagine so." She helped Lucy step from the box. "I'm Mirajane Strauss, by the way!" The woman greeted sweetly. Lucy smiled, feeling instantly comfortable with the white-haired beauty.

"Lucy Hear-"

"Wait!" Mirajane cut her off with a cautious glance at the door and windows. She ushered Lucy forward and into a small but spacious kitchen. There was a small table with four chairs, and a china cabinet right behind it. The latter was filled with beautiful pieces of china that Lucy sighed fondly at, thinking of her own immaculate china back home. The thought of home made her chest hurt, and she slumped into one of the chairs, burying her face in the crook of an elbow.

"Oh, my," Mira fretted, awkwardly patting her on the back. "Are you sure you're alright, dear?"

"I'm fine," Lucy lied. Mira didn't look convinced but let her be anyway. She began preparing a pot for tea.

"How much did your father tell you?" Mira asked, her back to Lucy. Lucy spoke into the table so her words came out slightly muffled.

"He just said that I'd be moving to Magnolia with my fake aunt, and would immediately be enrolled into Fairy Tail High as a Junior. Even though I was a senior back home." She grumbled this last part. At least she would technically be ahead of her class, which would be a nice change. She was decently smart, but she was no academic wiz.

"He didn't tell you anything else?" Mira pressed, pulling out two cups with matching saucers, and a colorful tea pot with flowers painted on it.

Lucy looked up at her with narrowed eyes. "No..." She said slowly, watching the beautiful woman pour steaming water into the tea pot. "What else _is_ there?"

"Oh, nothing!" She laughed, but it was obviously forced.

"What am I missing?" Lucy pressed right back. "What did my father tell you?" Mira pulled out three boxes of different flavored teas and placed them and the cups, saucers, and tea pot on a silver tray. She brought the lot over to the table and set it in the center. She sat down across from Lucy with a heavy sigh.

"I can't say all of the details, I'm afraid." She began. Lucy opened her mouth to object, but the woman cut her off with a raised hand. "I'm sorry, Lucy, truly I am. But there are just some things that you will have to find out on your own."

Lucy grumbled under her breath about how unfair all of this was. Not only had she been shipped off to a new town, a new school, living with a complete stranger, but now this complete stranger was keeping secrets from her! Secrets about HER life!

Lucy grabbed a tea cup with a beautifully painted rose pattern on it, and filled it with hot water. She dropped in a tea bag and then plopped a tiny spoon over it so it wouldn't float. She watched the water turn from clear, to a pale pink. Cherry blossom colored, to match the name.

"I know this must all seem pretty unfair to you," Mira commented, filling her cup and putting in two different bags of tea, Earl Gray and Orange Dream. Lucy wrinkled her nose at the strange combination. "But I promise it will all make sense soon enough. And all of this is just to keep you safe. There are some pretty terrible people out there." Mira nodded sadly. She used a tea spoon to fish out the two tea bags and toss them onto an empty saucer. Presuming this was an acceptable place to deposit the sodden bags, Lucy followed her lead and fished out her own bag, careful not to drip tea on the white tablecloth.

"Yeah, you can say that again." Lucy muttered irritably. She plopped in three sugars, but declined on the milk Mirajane offered. She watched the sugar cubes dissolve slowly and then took a tentative sip, careful not to burn her tongue. The warm tea made her feel a little better.

"Did your father mention anything about changing your name?" Mira asked after several moments of silence.

"No," Lucy shook her head, hands clasped around the warm tea cup. "Why? Do I have to go by Ashley or something?" Mira giggled.

"Certainly not! You can still be Lucy, it's a pretty common enough name. However..."

"Heartfilia is not." Lucy finished, setting her cup down on its matching saucer. "So, what's my last name supposed to be?"

"Oh!" Mirajane leapt up from the table and hurried into the next room. She came back a few moments later with a blue folder in hand, which she offered to Lucy. Lucy took it, frowning. She pushed her tea cup out of the way so she could lay the folder out in front of her. She opened it and found several official papers inside. Well, officially _FORGED_ , that is. School transcripts, medical records, birth certificate and immunization records, social security card, a freaking DRIVER'S LICENSE.

"Wow," Lucy said, flipping through all the documents and examining them. She didn't know anything about forged documents, but these looked pretty damn real to her. "Dad went all out." She frowned at the picture on the driver's license. "This is a horrible picture, though."

Mira giggled again, sipping her tea. Lucy had watched her dump at least six sugars into the tiny glass, and then fill it the rest of the way with milk. It didn't look very good to Lucy.

"Your father wanted to make sure you looked as unrecognizable as possible. He also sent some clothes for you!"

"Oh, God. _Please_ tell me he let Virgo or Aries pick them out." Lucy moaned, picturing her father searching through the women's section of different stores, and the hideous clothes he was sure to pick out for her. She shuddered at the thought. Mira frowned at her.

"I'm not sure who those people are, but I don't think it was your father who picked them out, if that's any relief to you."

Lucy breathed a definite sigh of relief. "It is." She was still looking over the documents when she finally noticed something. "Wait, _DIAMOND_?!" She asked in utter disbelief. "Lucy _DIAMOND_?! Are you freaking kidding me?!" Mira looked puzzled and slightly hurt.

"I thought Lucy Diamond was a beautiful name when I suggested it to your father..." Mira's eyes were so damn pitiful and sad that Lucy instantly regretted her reaction. So what if she was named after a freaking song? The whole point was that no one would recognize her by the name Heartfilia.

"I'm sorry, Mira. You're right. Lucy... Diamond is lovely." She choked a bit on the title and then gave the woman a forced smile. She brightened.

"You really think so? Oh, I'm so glad!" She grinned hugely at her and Lucy fought the urge to roll her eyes. "Anyway, if you're done with your tea, I'll show you to your room. I'm certain you must be exhausted from your long journey!"

"I am, actually." Lucy admitted, stifling a yawn. "Which is pretty silly I guess since all I did was sit inside a clock the whole way." She laughed. Mira grinned at her then led the way up some smooth wood stairs. She turned right down a short hallway and pointed at the first door on the right.

"This is your bathroom," Mira said. "It's already stocked with towels, shampoo, conditioner, lotion, tampons-"

"Okay, I get it!" She interrupted, turning a little red. "Thanks,"

They walked passed another door, this one on the left. "This leads to the attic, but I wouldn't go up there if I were you." She pitched her voice low and stage whispered in Lucy's ear. "I think my great-great-grandfather's ghost lives up there!"

"Wh-what?!" Lucy squeaked out, picturing some angry, vengeful spirit roaming through the halls at night. Mira just winked at her and led the way to the third and final room. This room was also on the right.

"And this will be your room, Lucy! It used to be my little sister, Lisanna's, room when she lived here with me, so I hope it's okay!" Mira looked a little sheepish suddenly. "I know it's not as extravagant as you're used to... But I'm hoping you'll be happy with it anyway." Lucy turned a kind smile her way and then pushed into the room.

It was actually a decent sized room, though nowhere near as big as her room back at the Hearfilia mansion. It was very open and spacious, with few belongings to clutter up the space. There was a queen sized bed pushed against a wall directly across from the door, covered in a pale blue comforter and several pillows. A small white desk and chair sat on one side of the room with a window just above it. A shiny, silver laptop and a few stationary supplies sat atop it. School supplies, if she had to guess. A four-drawer oak dresser sat across from the desk on the opposite wall. The whole room was very bright and comfortable, but it also lacked any sort of personality. All the walls and available surfaces were bare, void of any life.

Lucy walked in, examining everything in greater detail. Everything looked clean and new, like they had just been purchased recently. As if reading her thoughts, Mira spoke up from behind her.

"Your father sent some money over for the furnishings and bed stuff. Everything is new, but if you don't like something we can easily exchange it."

Lucy walked over to the closet and slid open the door. There were several shirts, jeans, and shorts, as well as a couple of sun dresses and skirts, and a couple of fancier -though not nearly as fancy as she was used to- dresses. Fortunately, upon closer inspection, they all seemed to be pretty stylish. They weren't name brand things like she had at home, but she never really cared too much about lables anyway.

She also noticed a small bookshelf filled with books with various authors that she recognized from her own collection back home. This probably made her happier than anything else because she loved to read. It would give her something to help pass the time when she wasn't in school.

She turned back to Mira with a smile. "Thank you so much, Mira. Really, this is great. I love it." Mira's eyes lit up.

"Really?! Oh, I'm so relieved!" She gave Lucy a little curtsy. "Well, I'll leave you to get settled. But please don't hesitate to come find me if you should need anything! My room is just across the hall, second door on the left!" She waved and then shut the door behind her.

Lucy sagged in relief. She was exhausted, both physically and mentally. She was also starting to feel the ache in her chest again at leaving her home. She hadn't been without Virgo and the other's... Well, EVER. It was hard to just leave them all behind like that and not know if she'd ever see them again. She really hoped they would all be okay.

She decided a nice, hot bath would help her immensely. She opened a dresser drawer, hoping to find some sort of pajamas. The top drawer had socks and panties, which she was also greatful for. The second drawer held leggings and shorts, things that didn't hang in the closet. The third drawer was what she wanted. She found a variety of sleepwear, some shirts and shorts, a few pants, and even some nightgowns, not that she would ever wear one of those. They were also in a variety of fabrics, cotton, silk, flannel. She chose a simple cotton top and shorts, and plucked out a pair of panties at random. She made her way into the bathroom and closed the door.

As soon as she was neck deep in the hot bath, she felt almost normal again. She began to relax. Maybe, just maybe, this wouldn't be so bad after all.


	2. First Day

**Fairy Tail High**

 **Chapter 2: First Day**

 **By: xSteleAliniax**

Lucy tossed and turned all night with nightmares of Ravens coming into her room while she slept, or worse, her OLD room. In one particularly vivid dream, the Ravens had gone to her family's home and killed every person there trying to find information on her whereabouts.

She woke with tears streaming down her face. Her pillow was wet with them, and her eyes stung from both lack of sleep and crying in the brief time she HAD slept.

She sat up in bed, wiping the tears from off her face and squinting at the bedside clock.

5:34 a.m.

Still early, but she decided she may as well get up now. She didn't think she could face another dream like that tonight.

Since she had bathed the night before, she decided on a quick shower to get her going. She wrapped up her hair with a clip atop her head and put a shower cap over it to keep the water or steam from hitting it. She stood under the hot water for ten minutes, trying to wash away the dark memories from the night before. She waited until she was calm enough to put on a brave face, and then turned off the water.

Back in her bedroom, Lucy flipped through the few clothes hanging in her closet, trying to decide what a normal teen would wear on her first day of school. It wasn't quite mid-semester yet, but it was quickly approaching. So, it wasn't anyone's first day of school except for her. Still, she knew from experience that what you wore your first day, the first thing people saw you in, would be what they judged you by for the rest of the school year, whether you started dressing better or worse from then on.

"I wish you were here, Virgo." She murmured sadly. Her pink-haired ladies' maid would help her choose something cute and stylish. "I guess it's up to me now." That wasn't to say that Lucy was completely inept at picking out her own clothes, but it always helped to have a second opinion.

Finally, she pulled out a jean mini skirt, a jade green top that showed her stomach a bit, and a cute pair of matching green sandals that wrapped around her ankles. She pulled her hair up into a simple half ponytail that her father always hated, but she always thought was cute. She thought it made her look a lot less conspicuous than some of the more elaborate updos Virgo often did on her. It was a lot less time-consuming and painful, too.

She sighed at her reflection in the full-length mirror behind her door, frowning slightly. She looked so... Average. Which, she guessed was the whole point. Still, it was going take a lot of getting used to. No more elaborate gowns...

Lucy took one last pensive look in the mirror, and then pulled open the door and stepped into the hall. She had a dark green satchel type bag slung over her right shoulder with a tasteful block pattern on the flap while the rest was black. It wasn't a huge bag, but it was heavy with her laptop, three chunky textbooks, two spiral bound notebooks, an assortment of pens and pencils, her transfer documents and driver's license, a chap stick, and a comb. Really, the bag was handling itself pretty with all the weight. It was Lucy who was struggling to carry the thing. She would be grateful to deposit some of the load into her locker at school.

"Good morning, Lucy!" Mirajane smiled sweetly at her. A delicious scent filled her nose. Pancakes and bacon and eggs. "There's tea on the table, and breakfast is almost ready!" She turned back to the stove to flip some pancakes while simultaneously flipping over two fried eggs perfectly without making the yoke run. Lucy couldn't help but be impressed at the woman. Even her cooks at home sometimes had trouble with multitasking.

"Good morning, Mira. That smells great!" She sat down at the table and poured herself a cup of steaming water, adding in a Cherry Blossom tea bag. She grabbed a spoon and stirred the bag around tiredly. She sighed audibly without meaning to. Mira glanced back, concern washing over her beautiful features.

"Rough night?" She guessed, giving Lucy a sad smile before returning to breakfast.

"Yeah," Lucy fished out the tea bag and dropped it onto the empty saucer. She dropped in some sugar and then lifted the cup to her lips. Today, her cup had a blue lily pattern. It was both tasteful and elegant. "I'm sorry if I kept you up." She took a sip of the warm liquid.

"Not at all!" Mira assured her, flipping pancakes onto a plate. She added a few strips of bacon and the two eggs and then grabbed a fork and knife from a drawer. She walked over and set the plate in front of Lucy, who looked about as she felt. Dark circles under her eyes, worn and tired expression, drooping lids. "You poor dear." Mira shook her head and patted Lucy on the arm. "It will get better, I know it. You just have to get past this rough patch."

"How long is THAT going to take?" She asked sourly. If Mira heard the unkind tone of her voice she didn't acknowledge it. Instead she gave Lucy a warm smile and returned to her cooking.

Lucy sighed and started cutting up her pancake into bite sized pieces. She then cut the two fried eggs, watched the yoke run just right across the plate, tore the bacon into small pieces and dropped them into the mess. She mixed the whole thing together and took a bite. It was delicious.

"Wow, Mira," she said after she had swallowed. She held a napkin in front of her mouth just in case she still had any food remnants. "You're a really good cook!" Mira looked back over her shoulder and grinned.

"Thank you! It's nice to have someone to cook for again. I've been alone for so long now, and it's just not the same cooking for only yourself."

"Yeah..." Lucy agreed, though she really had no idea. She had never cooked a day in her life. She would probably burn cereal if given the chance. She continued eating the delicious breakfast, all the while thinking of Virgo and the others.

Mira joined her when she was done with her own plate. She put a napkin in her lap like a proper lady, like Lucy SHOULD have done. She had been chastised about this her entire life but could never seem to remember. Instead, she held the napkin in front her mouth as she chewed. She preferred it this way anyway. She was always afraid that she would accidentally spit food.

Mira took her time cutting her food into miniscule pieces. She also arranged each thing in its own individual pile, allowing nothing to touch. Lucy didn't see how it would matter if her food touched since it all mixed together anyway, but she didn't say as much aloud. Once she was done with that, Mira drizzled a thin line of syrup over the pancake pile, though hardly enough to make a difference. She took a small, dainty bite and chewed it for an eternity, face serious. Lucy choked on a laugh, coughing to hide the fact.

"Goodness, are you alright?" Mira asked once she had finally swallowed. Lucy nodded, still coughing.

"I'm fine! That was delicious, Mira. Thank you so much for breakfast!" She wiped her mouth with her cloth, finished off her tea, and then took her dishes to the sink to wash.

"You're welcome, Lucy!" Mira said brightly. "It was my pleasure. You needed a good breakfast for your first day of school!"

Lucy groaned. "Don't remind me." Mira giggled.

"Don't worry, Lucy. The kids in Magnolia are very friendly!" She assured her. Lucy didn't feel convinced.

* * *

Lucy "Diamond" stood in front of Fairy Tail High, head held high, shoulders back, expression somewhere between overly confident and sheer terror. She would fake it as best she could, but there was only so much forced confidence one could put out in a day.

She strode forward with the sea of other students, trying to look as if she belonged there, and not like it was her very first day. A few kids gave her curious looks, some openly gaped at her (mostly guys did this). Was it really so strange to see a new face? Or did she really stick out that much?

 _Just ignore it._ She thought, trying not to literally sprint into the building. She kept up a casual pace as she her made her way into the school and followed the signs to the front office. A stern looking woman with dark hair and way too much make up sat at a desk just inside. She was chewing gum loudly as she flipped through a stack of papers with a bored expression. She didn't look up at Lucy's approach.

"Excuse me, ma'am," Lucy said, trying to sound polite. She waited for some indication that the woman had heard her, but she just continued smacking her gum and ignoring her. Lucy sighed. "Hey!" She called a little louder. The woman looked up, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Yes?" She asked, her voice a hiss. Obviously, she was one of those secretaries who didn't actually like kids.

"I'm new here," Lucy said. The woman looked her up and down and then snorted before turning her attention back to her papers.

"Obviously," she blew a bubble and popped it loudly. Lucy winced. She hated gum chewers, especially when they made an especial effort to be obnoxious about it.

"Do you need my transfer papers or something?" Lucy tried. This woman was giving her nothing to go on!

A new voice cut in then. "I'll take care of you, child. Come in to my office." Lucy smiled gratefully and followed the man into an office that read 'Principal' on the door. He was a small man, with white hair sticking out the sides of a funny orange and blue hat. He had on an orange jacket with blue around the wrists, and a white t-shirt underneath with a strange symbol on it.

The tiny man jumped up onto his desk and sat atop it with crossed legs. His pointy orange shoes had little bells on them that jingled when they moved.

"You must be our new student, Lucy Diamond." He said with a kind smile. "My name is Principal Makarov Dryer. Welcome to Fairy Tail High, young lady!"

"Um, thanks!" She said at his exuberant tone. She forced a smile that she hoped looked genuine enough.

"I apologize for my secretary's unpleasant attitude," the principal said with a shake of his head. "She's a temp, filling in for someone who has been out sick for a few days. She's dreadful." He shuddered and rolled his eyes dramatically. This time when Lucy smiled, it WAS genuine.

"It's fine, really," She assured him. "I was just hoping to get my class schedule and locker combination, that sort of thing."

"Of course, my child!" He intoned, clapping his hands together in front of him. "Allow me to assist you." He hopped down from the desk and walked over to a filing cabinet. He opened the bottom drawer and flipped through some folders until he came across the one he wanted. He pulled it out and then hopped back onto the desk. He opened the folder and pulled out a few sheets of papers, which he then handed to Lucy. "Here you are, child. Your class schedule, locker combination, and a map of the campus. I've also included a list of some of our extracurricular activities, in case you're interested." He winked at her.

"Uh, thanks. I appreciate it." She took the papers and looked them over quickly, not wanting to waste too much of this man's time, but also making sure there wouldn't be any problems that she would have to come back for. "Do you need my transfer papers?" She asked once she was done.

"Nope! That'll be all, Miss Diamond." He smiled widely at her. She tried not to cringe at the name and barely managed an awkward almost smile in return before turning out of the office.

 _What a strange man_ she thought to herself, map in hand as she tried to locate her locker. She had locker number 215, which meant that hers was on the second floor, and her first class was in room 124, on the first floor.

"Great," she muttered. She glanced at a nearby clock. Two minutes until her first class. She wouldn't have time to go by her locker first. She would have to haul her heavy books around for a little longer.

With a heavy sigh, Lucy trudged on to her first class of the day, Algebra II with Mr. Macao Conbolt. Lucy wasn't terrible with math, but she had struggled a bit in algebra the first time around. She could only hope that this time she would remember most of what she needed to know.

She walked into a bright, open classroom that was already abuzz with chatter from the fifteen or so students milling about. Fortunately, only a handful of them seemed interested in her entrance. A few glanced her way, then went back to whatever they were doing without so much as a change in expression. A few guys raised suggestive eyebrows at her and blatantly checked her out. A couple of girls, having noticed the guy's attention, gave her a once over, raised an eyebrow and then leaning closer to each other to giggle and whisper (Lucy suppressed a scowl at this). But overall the majority of the students didn't pay her a second glance.

"Ah, you must be our new student," a man with graying purple hair and a serious face glanced up at her over a stack of papers he had been looking at. He gave her a kind smile and gestured at the classroom. "Sit anywhere you like, Miss Diamond." He then went back to his papers, probably grading tests from the look of all the red pen marks he was making.

 _Great,_ Lucy thought as she made her way around the chattering students. _He's one of those really strict teachers._ She found an empty desk near the back of the room, next to a cute blue haired girl who was one of the only students actually sitting down. She had on a pair of red reading glasses, gaze focused so intently on the book she was reading that she didn't even seem to notice when Lucy approached.

"Hi," Lucy said, hoping this girl wouldn't be too annoyed at the intrusion. She looked up at her with surprise, like she wasn't used to people saying hello to her. Lucy gave her a friendly smile. "My name is Lucy Hea-Uh, Diamond. Do you mind if I sit here?" She gestured at the empty seat.

"Hi, Lucy! Not at all!" The girl grinned back at her.

"Thanks!" Lucy sat down and hung the heavy bag over the back of her chair. She pulled out the appropriate book and laid it, a blue spiral bound notebook, and a black pen on the desk in front of her.

"I'm Levy McGarden." The other girl said. Levy had on a cute orange dress with a white strap that went around her neck, and then tied into a bow at her chest. A matching headband with flowers on it held back her light blue locks. Her kind face and friendly smile made Lucy instantly like her. "It's nice to meet you!"

"Thanks! You, too! You're the first person I've really talked to at this school."

"Really?" Levy looked surprised again. "Hey, do you want to have lunch with me? I'm not really the most popular girl in school, but you're welcome to join us at our table if you like?"

"Yeah!" Lucy grinned at the blunette. "That would be nice." Lucy leaned closer and pitched her voice low. "How is the teacher?" She gestured at the man in the front of the room with her eyes.

"Mr. Conbolt?" Levy asked and then giggled. "He's totally laid back. Most of the other classes aren't this..." A quick glance around. "Loud." She giggled again. "Mr. Conbolt looks strict, but he's pretty cool. But... If you don't pay attention to his lessons, it'll be pretty obvious by all the red marks you find on your homework. That's why I stick to the back of the room where it's quieter."

"Makes sense," Lucy nodded, remembering the teacher marking away on someone's paper when she first came in.

"Alright, class," Mr. Conbolt intoned in a bored voice, standing up slowly and walking over to the board on the wall. "Time to begin." And with no more instructions he began the lesson. Lucy was actually struggling a bit to catch everything he was trying to get across to them, mostly because the purple-haired man made no attempts to slow down for anyone. Some students still chatted with each other in another corner of the room, apparently having no desire to listen to the complex algebraic equations their teacher was writing. Levy, beside her, was scribbling furious notes in a flowery notebook with three different colored pens. Lucy was attempting to take notes as well, but she was in no way as thorough as Levy.

By the time the hour was up and the bell had rung, Lucy felt exhausted. It was only her first class! She really hoped that all her classes weren't this hard, because she was going to just DIE.

"Don't worry, Lu," Levy said, seeing Lucy's slumped form as they walked out of class. "Mr. Conbolt is a really tough professor. Most of the other classes aren't so hard."

"I hate math," Lucy groaned. She never really liked it before, it was just something she had to do. But now she had a new-found hatred for it. Mr. Conbolt was indeed pretty laid back, but he was also very efficient. He only explained things once, and even though he explained them fairly well, it was still hard for Lucy to understand the complicated problems. What was even more annoying to her was the fact that she had already taken this class once before! But she certainly didn't remember it being this hard.

Levy giggled. "I prefer reading and writing myself, but I do pretty well in math."

"I guess you're just a genius," Lucy winked at her and the two shared a laugh.

"I don't know about that," Levy said modestly, shifting her bulging bookbag to her other shoulder. It looked even heavier than Lucy's. "Well, see you at lunch, Lu!" Levy waved and headed off in the opposite direction towards her next class. Lucy waved back before continuing down the hall.

* * *

Lucy was feeling exhausted by the time lunch rolled around a few hours later. Exhausted, and a little annoyed. She had been placed in a grade BELOW her actual one, but somehow, she was still struggling to keep up! She wondered if this school was just that difficult, or if she really wasn't as smart as she thought she was.

"Hey, Lu!" Called a familiar voice. Lucy's eyes scanned the room until she spotted Levy at a table a ways off. Lucy waved and headed in her direction with her lunch tray. Levy sat with only two others, both male. A black-haired boy with a white shirt and dark jeans waved politely at her through a mouthful of chicken, mumbling a name that sounded like Droy or Troy. Next to him sat a tall orange haired boy with a ridiculously tall hat atop his head and a matching sweater over his violet shirt, who was introduced at Jet. They both sat at least a couple of heads taller than tiny Levy, making her look even smaller than she was.

"How is your first day so far?" Levy asked when she sat down. Lucy resisted the urge to bang her head on the table.

"I thought you said the rest of the classes were easy," Lucy slumped in her chair, feeling the weight of the day resting heavily on her. And it was only half over! "Ugh,"

Levy giggled. "Let me see what classes you have." Lucy opened her bag and produced the appropriate paper, handing it over to the spectacle-wearing girl. Levy perched her glasses on the edge of her nose and frowned at the page. After a moment, understanding lit her features and she blew out a breath. "Wow, Lu, I see why you're so tired."

"Why?!" Lucy took the sheet from her and examined it. They all looked like ordinary high school classes to her.

"Someone gave you all the hardest teachers," Levy said sympathetically. "And you're in all AP classes. I'm only in Algebra AP and English AP classes right now."

"Oh, man." Lucy slumped lower, completely ignoring her lunch. A dark cloud of despair began to materialize around her.

"Wow, you have Macao's class?" One of the boys said with a visible shudder, peering over Levy's shoulder. She thought it was Jet, the one with the funny hat, but she wasn't positive. "He's scary."

Levy wacked him in the arm. "Don't tell her that, Jet!" She chided, pointing a finger at him. He held his hands up defensively.

"I-I'm sorry, Levy!"

"Yeah, man, don't make Levy's new friend scared. That's not cool." The other one who must be Troy (Or was it Droy?) said. He sat up taller next to Levy, looking smug.

"Wh-I wasn't trying to scare her!" Jet defended himself, shooting puppy dog eyes at Levy, who didn't even notice because she was currently comparing her schedule to Lucy's. "It's not like it's a secret, right, Levy? That class is impossible to pass!"

"Oh, great," Lucy muttered under her breath.

"Aw, don't worry, Lucy. I'll help you out if you like!" Levy offered with a smile. Lucy couldn't help but smile back at her kindness.

"Thanks, Levy."

"I could help her, too!" Droy or Troy chimed in, still looking smug.

"Didn't you fail his class last semester, Droy?" Jet shot back, taking on a smug look himself (So it was Droy...). Droy looked ready to pounce on the man, but Levy simply held up a hand, looking exhausted.

"Will you two just be quiet? You're making us look bad! No wonder no one wants to sit with us." Levy's look was so pitiful and sad that both guys immediately melted into a series of apologies that Lucy thought were way overdone. Still, it made her feel better. She smiled and thought that maybe, just maybe, she had found some friends at this school.

* * *

The rest of the day went by in a blur. Her classes were all equally difficult, except for the English class she shared with Levy. Both girls seemed pretty much at home around books and words. The two were in the minority of students who actually looked like they enjoyed being there. It was a fairly small class, and most of the students there looked either lost or bored. Only a handful, Levy and Lucy included, actually seemed to grasp the material and like it.

By the end of the day, Lucy felt like she was carrying a ton of bricks in her bag. She never had time to find her locker, because in the five minutes between classes she had to wander around looking for her next class. Her back ached from carrying around the heavy bag all day, and she was more than ready to, literally, take a load off.

She trudged up the stairs to the second floor, past students making their way hurriedly down the stairs to leave for the day. It seemed to take her forever to reach the second floor, and when she rounded the corner at the top of the stairs she collided hard with another body.

"Eek!" She let out a girly shriek as the force of the impact sent her flying to the ground. Her bag slid across the floor a few feet away.

"Ah, shit! Are you okay?!" A shuffling sound, like someone scrambling to their feet, and then a hand appeared in her vision. Her eyes were slightly dazed, as her head had smacked against the floor pretty hard, so the speaker was blurry. The hand seemed to move in front of her face in slow motion, making her dizzy.

"Ow," she squeezed her eyes shut for a moment and waited for the dizziness to pass.

"I didn't see you there!" The speaker said again, giving her shoulder a little shake and making her even more dizzy. "Are you dead or something?!" His voice -and she just now realized that it was a male speaker- jumped an octave higher in his panic. Did he seriously think she was dead?

"I'm not dead, you're shaking is making my head spin."

"Oh!" He stopped shaking her, finally. "Hey, are you new here? I don't think I've seen you around..." Lucy blinked open her eyes and waited for her vision to stop swimming. A boy with pink hair -yes, PINK hair- was frowning down at her, head cocked slightly to the side. He sat on the ground next to her, legs crossed beneath him like they were just having a casual chat.

"I'm new," she tried to sit up and winced a little as pain started throbbing in her head.

"What's your name?" He asked, still frowning at her like he was trying to figure out a complicated puzzle.

"Lucy," she sat up with her legs under her but more to the side because she was wearing a skirt. She adjusted the material for good measure, and prayed that this boy hadn't seen her underwear when she had fallen. "Today is my first day."

"Really?" He asked, face lighting up with excitement. "Cool! My name's Natsu." He smiled a huge grin at her and for a moment Lucy thought this guy might be kind of cute. He did have a nice smile. Then he opened his mouth to speak and she reconsidered. "Hey, do you like dragons?"

"Uh, what?" Where had that come from?

"Like, badass fire-breathing creatures of awesomeness, duh!"

"I guess I've never really thought about it." She admitted. He gaped at her like she was from another planet.

"Seriously?! Where have you BEEN? You have to have lunch at my table tomorrow so I can tell you all about them." His voice was almost commanding in tone, leaving no room for arguments. Lucy just gaped. Natsu stood to his feet and then offered her a hand, giving her another toothy grin. "Come on, Loony!"

"It's Lucy!" She swatted his hand away and stood up on her own, careful not to reveal TOO much of her thighs as she did. She tugged the skirt down when she was standing.

"What are you doing up here, anyway?" Natsu asked, frowning at her again. Then something lit in his eyes. "Wait, you're not homeless, are you?! Are you living here at the school?!"

"What? No! What kind of stupid question is that?"

"Well, you're coming UP the stairs while everyone else is going DOWN." He pointed out, crossing his arms over his chest. His BARE chest, she must add. Well, it wasn't completely bare. He had on a black vest with orange trim, and a white scarf around his neck. Still... A large part of his chest was staring back at her, especially from her shorter height.

When she finally realized she was staring, she shot her eyes back up to his, cheeks heating in embarrassment. Thankfully, he wasn't looking at her. He was staring across the floor at where her bag had slid. Oh, that was why her back felt suddenly lighter.

"Huh, someone left their bag."

Lucy facepalmed.

"That's my bag. It slid across the floor when we collided."

"Oh!" He walked across the room and picked it up. "Damn, Lucy, this bag is heavy. Why don't you keep some of this stuff in your locker?"

"I haven't had time to find my locker all day. That's where I was headed now."

"What number is it?" Natsu asked, voice serious. Lucy just stared for a moment, unsure why he was still holding her bag.

"Uh... 215," she said at last. Natsu nodded once and then started walking down the hallway to the right. Lucy stared at his retreating back dumbly for a moment before hurrying to catch up to him. "What are you doing?" She asked, matching his stride.

"I'm taking you to your locker." He said, an unspoken ' _duh_!' at the end of the sentence.

"Okay, but why?"

He stopped in front of a locker and gestured grandly. "215," he said, ignoring her and handing over her bag.

"Thanks," she took the bag from him and then turned the scrap of paper over that had her locker combination on it. She twisted the lock a few times and it popped open. She was waiting for Natsu to say he had to leave, or just walk off, but he just leaned casually against the locker beside hers, watching as she pulled out her heavy books and lined them up neatly in the small space.

"Um, do you need to catch the bus or something?" She asked pointedly after a few awkward moments.

"The bus?" He asked, a look of horror crossing his face. "Hell, no! I'd never ride on one of those things!" Lucy giggled at his expression.

"Why? They're not THAT bad."

"I hate all forms of transportation," he said with a shudder, looking a little green at just the idea of it.

"Ah, you get motion sickness." She guessed. She knew someone like that from her other school. She, too, would walk for miles every day to and from school just to avoid any vehicles. Lucy thought it was kind of dramatic, but what did she know about it?

"Why aren't YOU taking the bus?" He asked as she closed her locker and began walking back in the direction they had come.

"Oh, my house isn't far from here. It doesn't take long to walk."

"Okay, I'll walk with you." He said casually, stuffing his hands in his pockets and keeping pace with her. Lucy stammered something unintelligible in her shock. "What was that?" Natsu frowned at her.

"Y-You don't have to d-do that!" She stammered out, feeling her cheeks going red. Why was she being a stuttering fool all of a sudden?! And why were her hands sweaty and shaking?

"Why not?" He asked, sounding a little hurt. "I can't just let a pretty girl walk home all alone."

"Y-you think I'm pretty?" Lucy almost fell down the next flight of stairs as they rounded a corner. As it was, she tripped on her own feet like the idiot she was. Natsu caught her by the arm easily and pulled her back up into a standing position before she fell to her doom. A wave of heat burned through her at the contact, but Natsu just continued their conversation as if nothing had happened.

"Well, yeah, of course I do." He said with an air of confidence that Lucy suspected was faked. He didn't exactly radiate confidence and maturity, but there WAS something about him that she liked.

 _Wait, what?_

She shook her head. "No."

"No?" He was confused now.

"Oh, sorry, I was just thinking aloud." She gave him a weak smile. He snorted a laugh.

"You're so weird, Lucy!"

"Why am _I_ weird?" She asked, a little offended but not entirely sure why.

"You just are." He stated matter-of-factly.

"Okay," she decided to let it go for the moment.

The pair exchanged small talk for the rest of the walk, chatting about the weather and other meaningless topics. But it was nice. Lucy found herself relaxing into the conversation and actually enjoying the walk back to Mira's.

"Well, this is me." She gestured unenthusiastically at the little white two-story building.

"Nice," Natsu grinned at her, hands behind his head in a lazy manner. "Well, see you at lunch tomorrow!" And with that, the pink-haired boy took off down the street.

Lucy shook her head, watching his retreating figure for a few moments too long. She grinned stupidly as she walked up the steps to the house, and for the first time since starting high school, Lucy Heartfilia was actually looking forward to going back to school.


	3. Unexpected Encounter

**Fairy Tail High**

 **Chapter 3: Unexpected Encounters**

 **By: xSteleAliniax**

When her alarm went off the next morning Lucy was already feeling more invigorated than the day before. She jumped out of bed and hurriedly showered. She blew her hair dry so it wouldn't stick up, and put it in a half side-pony again. Today, she wore a pair of white shorts with silver stars down the sides, and a light pink top (that she did not choose because of a certain pinkette she met at school yesterday). She added a silver chain necklace that hung down to her mid-stomach, and a pair of silver sandals with pink flowers on the top. Looking in the mirror, she actually thought she looked pretty cute. Grabbing her bag, she headed downstairs to get breakfast.

"Oh, good morning, Lucy!" Mira said as the blonde practically raced into the kitchen. "You're energetic this morning!" She gave her a knowing smile that Lucy didn't see in her haste to get food.

"Uh... I'm just ready to get the day started!" She said, searching through the fridge for something to eat.

"There's an omelet in the microwave for you," Mira said from the table. She was looking through a magazine and sipping tea but didn't look like she had eaten anything herself. "It should still be warm."

"Oh, thank you! But you don't have to cook for me, you know." She opened the microwave and a warm scent wafted into her nose, making her mouth water. She pulled out the plate and took it and a fork over to the table where she sat across from Mira.

"Oh, I don't mind!" She grinned at her over the magazine. "I enjoy having someone to take care of again."

"That's right, your sister used to live with you. What happened to her? Did she move?" Lucy asked, cutting into the egg. A puff of steam wafted out. Definitely still hot.

Mira tensed, smile dropping ever so slightly. "Oh, my sister was killed a few years ago..." She trailed off. Lucy froze with her fork halfway to her mouth. She was glad she hadn't taken a bite yet, because surely she would have choked.

"Oh, wow. I'm so sorry, Mira, I had no idea." Lucy felt horrible. She wished her father had told her a little bit about this woman she was supposed to be staying with.

"Oh, it's okay, Lucy, really!" She smiled a genuine smile, though it was still laced with pain. "It still hurts sometimes, but not like it used to. I've learned to deal with it. You know, you kind of remind me of her, Lucy!"

"Really?" Lucy was curious about this person now. "What was she like? That is, if you don't mind talking about it..."

"Not at all! It's nice to have someone to talk with again. She was a really sweet girl, just like you are!" Mira smiled fondly at some memory. "She was pretty clumsy sometimes, and she really loved school. She would have been about your age now."

"What was her name again?" Lucy remembered her mentioning the name before, but couldn't recall what it was. It had sounded something like 'Lasagna,' right?

"Her name was Lisanna," Mira took a sip of tea and then coughed delicately into a napkin. Lucy wondered if the woman was going to cry and decided to change the topic.

"Um, so I met some people at school yesterday." She said as casually as she could. She took a bite of the omelet as she waited for Mira to comment on her topic change. She held a napkin over her mouth as she chewed, savoring the delicious flavor combination of the egg, cheese, peppers, and even bits of ham.

"I'm so glad to hear that!" Mira enthused. "Are any of them booooys?" She asked with a wink. Lucy froze again, trying not to choke on her bite of egg.

"No..." She said, rather unconvincingly so. Mira giggled.

"What's his name?" She asked.

"It might be Natsu..." Lucy muttered under her breath, not making eye contact with the white-haired beauty.

"Oh!" Her eyes lit up. "Natsu Dragneel?" Lucy shrugged, she didn't get his last name. "He's such a cute boy! I bet you two make the cutest couple!" Hearts shone in her eyes.

"W-what?! We aren't-that is-I mean, he's not-Well, I'm not-" Lucy stammered out, suddenly feeling flustered. "I-it's not like that!" She finally got out.

"Okay," Mira bit her lip to hide her smile.

"I just ran into him yesterday, literally, at the top of the stairs." Lucy smiled, but the napkin she held in front of her mouth concealed it. "We talked for a few minutes and then he walked me back."

"Oh, that's so cute!" Mira looked ready to burst from excitement. "What a gentleman!"

"Yeah, I guess..." Lucy muttered. She glanced up at a clock and then jumped out of her seat. "Oh, crap! I have to go!" She looked down at her plate and its half-eaten contents.

"Don't worry about it!" Mira waved her off, still looking dreamy eyed. "Go freshen up!"

"I'm not-! Ugh." She ran up the stairs to brush her teeth.

* * *

Back in Mr. Conbolt's Class of Doom, Lucy found her seat next to Levy. The blunette looked up from her abnormally large book and smiled at her new friend.

"Hey, Lu!"

"Hey, Levy! So, I actually wanted to talk to you about something..." Lucy began, feeling her face start to flush. "Or rather, SOMEONE."

"Ooh," Levy scooted closer to her, eyes lighting up. "What's his name?"

 _How did everyone keep guessing that?! Was she THAT obvious_?!

"Um... Natsu?" She didn't mean for it to come out as a question, but she was embarrassed that she was even talking about this. Levy got a knowing smile.

"Oh, do you mean Natsu Dragneel?" She asked, eyes lighting up.

"I didn't ask for his last name..." She said lamely, choosing not to mention the fact that her "Aunt" Mira had already told her.

"Oh, Mavis, I bet it is him! He's so popular, Lu!"

"What?!" Lucy exclaimed, a little too loudly. A couple of students glanced their way and gave them dirty looks. Lucy pitched her voice lower. "What do you mean he's 'popular?' Are we talking about the same guy here?" Levy snorted a laugh.

"Lucy, how many guys do _you_ know with a name like Natsu?"

She had a point.

"Pink hair?" Lucy asked, just to confirm, because she REALLY had never seen anyone with salmon colored hair before.

"That sounds like him." Levy nodded. Lucy slumped in her seat, feeling like an idiot.

"He told me to sit with him at lunch today."

" _REALLY_?!" Levy squealed, then got a look very similar to Mira's. "Oh, I bet he likes you! He never asks anyone to sit at his table!"

"He said he wants to talk to me about dragons." Lucy muttered unenthusiastically. Levy giggled again.

"Yeah, I've heard that he's a pretty weird guy actually. But I've never heard anything bad about him. Most people say he's a really good guy."

"Well, that's a relief," Lucy said. "And I'm not surprised about the weird part. I kind of got that impression." She laughed.

"Alright, class. Let's begin." The teacher said, standing up from his desk. He grinned evilly at them. "And guess what? It's time for a pop quiz!"

* * *

"That was the cruelest torture," Lucy moaned as she and Levy walked out of class.

"Yeah," Levy agreed, slumping a little as the two made their way down the hall. "I study pretty hard, but even I had a rough time with that one."

"I am so going to fail!" Lucy felt miserable. The pop quiz Mr. Conbolt had surprised them with was full of material that normally took Lucy hours to puzzle out. She could remember spending an hour on a single problem last year because she just could not get the correct answer. She had no way of knowing which answers had been correct today, and she thought it was pretty cruel of her teacher to force her to take a test on material from his class when it was only her second day.

"Aw, I bet you did great!" Levy reassured her. Lucy said nothing. Levy laughed. "Don't worry, if you did really bad they will let you take a retest. Macao is cool like that."

"Really?" Lucy asked, perking up the tiniest bit. "For a pop quiz?"

Levy nodded. "I told you he's super laid back! He just likes to scare us, I think." She giggled. "Anyway, see you later, Lu! I have to get to my Physics class now."

Lucy waved goodbye and then rushed upstairs to grab her Biology textbook from her locker. Since it was one of her thicker texts, she didn't like to carry it around with her. And now that she knew where her locker was, she could easily exchange books before Biology if she didn't get stopped by anyone in the halls. But, since she knew exactly two people in this school, and one of them was going into another building for Physics, it was unlikely that she'd be stopped.

So of course, just as she was rounding the corner onto the second floor, she was knocked down yet again.

"Ow!" She yelped, landing hard on her rear end. She glared up at the culprit, only to have her glare fall when she saw who it was. "Natsu?" She asked in disbelief. Had he seriously knocked her down twice in as many days? And in the same place! Was he just standing there waiting for her or something?!

"Oh. Hey, Luce!" He grinned at her and she felt a smile tugging at her own lips. She bit them to keep a stern look on.

"Why do you keep running into me?" She asked, trying to sound commanding. He didn't look like he noticed her tone.

"What? Oh, yeah, sorry about that!" He laughed and then offered her a hand. She glared at it. "Come on, I won't bite!" He wiggled his fingers. She sighed and placed her hand in his. His was warm and big as it held hers. She felt something inside of her as he pulled her up, still smiling.

 _Butterflies_... Her mind supplied. She snatched her hand away, feeling flushed again.

"Um... Well, I have to go!" She started toward her locker. Now she was going to be late! But she didn't want her teacher to be angry that she hadn't brought her textbook with her. The day before he had warned her that she "better keep track of your textbook and always bring it to class if you hope to pass!" with a terrifying tone that made her squeak out a response and then slink to the back of the class in hopes that the teacher would forget about her.

"Hey, wait up!" Natsu easily caught up to her with his longer legs. Just like yesterday, he leaned against the locker beside hers. "What class do you have next?" He asked as she twisted the combination lock.

"Bio," she answered flatly, hoping he'd take the hint and go away.

"Me, too!" He exclaimed. She glanced back at him in surprise.

"AP Bio with Mr. Col." She clarified.

"Duh!" Natsu rolled his green eyes at her like she was an idiot. "Who else teaches Biology at this school?" He snatched the huge textbook from her hands as she gaped at him and then turned to leave. "Come on, Luce!"

Lucy stammered out something unintelligible and then slammed her locker shut and locked it before hurrying after the pink-haired boy.

"W-wait a minute!" She called out, having to jog to keep up with his longer strides. He slowed and waited for her to catch up. "What are you doing?" She demanded, gesturing at her stolen textbook.

"Uh, I'm walking you to class." He said, looking confused. Because walking with random girls was no big deal apparently.

"Why?" She asked.

"Why not?" He shot back with a grin. She sighed and decided it wasn't worth the effort to argue. The pair continued walking. Soon, Lucy started to see that Levy wasn't mistaken in saying that Natsu was popular.

"Hey, Natsu!" A guy shouted from across the hall as they passed. He waved back happily.

"Hi, Natsu," a brunette batted her eyelashes at him suggestively.

"Hey, Carla," Natsu nodded at the girl.

"It's Darla!" She said with a pout. Natsu shrugged and kept walking.

"Yo, Natsu!" Yelled another guy, smacking Natsu on the back and joining their little pack of two as they walked. "So, I was thinking..."

"No," Natsu interrupted in a bored tone.

"Aw, come on, man!" The guy whined, his hand still on Natsu's shoulders. "I really need your help!"

"I'm busy," Natsu replied tersely. The other guy glanced over at Lucy and then sighed. He let go of Natsu's shoulders.

"I see how it is..." He sulked, letting the two pass him. "Blonde hair and big boobs... I can't compete with that." Natsu stopped walking and turned to Lucy, offering her the textbook.

"Would you mind holding this for one moment... And looking over there?" He gestured at a general area in the direction facing AWAY from the sulking guy.

"Uh... Okay..." She took the book and turned away. Natsu gave her a reassuring grin and then walked casually over to the other guy. Lucy couldn't see what was going on, but suddenly there was a loud THUMP and the guy cried out. Natsu appeared at her side again as if nothing had happened. He took the book from her. She blinked at him, surprise making her speechless.

"Thanks!" He winked, then started walking toward their classroom again.

"What did you just do?" She asked.

"Oh, I just asked that guy not to say rude things about my new friend."

"I didn't hear you say anything." She deadpanned.

"Oh, I asked him with my fist." He grinned toothily at her and showed her a large muscled arm. Lucy couldn't help it, she laughed. She wasn't one for violence or fighting, but she appreciated Natsu sticking up for her, even if she wasn't sure why he had done it.

"Hey, I don't remember seeing you in this class yesterday," she thought back, trying to remember seeing a pink-haired classmate.

"I saw _you_ ," his voice was low, the sound of it sending a shiver up her spine. Geez, she was hopeless! "You had your head down as you sprinted to your seat like you were on fire!" He laughed outright. She narrowed her eyes at the floor.

"I don't think I remember it like that..."

"Here we are!" He said, stopping in front of room 111. The door was already closed, which meant that class had already begun without them. Lucy groaned, but Natsu just walked right inside. She hurriedly followed after him. The teacher glared over at them for the interruption, that is, until he saw Natsu there.

"Mr. Dragneel," the teacher said, voice dripping with disapproval. "You are five minutes late." He turned a glare over to Lucy as if this was completely her doing. She flinched.

"Yeah, sorry about that, Mr. C.!" Natsu said, not sounding sorry at all. "I accidentally ran into Lucy here, literally, in the hallway upstairs and had to take her to the nurse's office." Lucy tried not to gape at him. He totally just lied... And so convincingly so. The teacher blinked at him, then Lucy. Finally, he sighed and gestured at the classroom.

"Just sit down, please, and try not to waste any more of my time."

The pair quickly took their seats. Well, Lucy sat in the same seat as yesterday, next some nerdy kid with glasses and an annoying wheeze. Natsu followed behind her and then shot the innocent boy a glare.

" _MOVE_." He said. The boy jumped and shot out of his seat in an instant. Natsu sat down with a satisfied grin.

"That was a bit harsh," Lucy commented when he handed her back her book. He shrugged.

"Shh, I'm listening to the lesson." He stared ahead with a serious expression. Lucy narrowed her eyes, but opened her text to the appropriate page and pulled out a pen and some paper to take notes. Natsu didn't even have a textbook with him, and Lucy wondered if the teacher would notice, or care.

"Now that that UNWELCOME disturbance has been taken care of," a narrowed-eyed look in Lucy's direction. She felt herself blush with embarrassment. "we can get back to the lesson. Which of you slackers knows the answer to question number three in your text?" Mr. Col glanced around the room, raising an eyebrow when no one raised a hand. "No one?"

"Chodrichthyes, and osteichthyes," Natsu spoke up from beside her in a bored tone. Lucy gaped at him.

"Correct, Mr. Dragneel," the teacher nodded and wrote the two unfamiliar words down on the board. Lucy couldn't even pronounce the names, much less know what they meant. "And can anyone tell us what features give chondrichthyes and osteichthyes their names?" Again, no one had an answer. "No one?" The teacher sounded disappointed. His gaze shifted to Natsu. "How about you, Mr. Dragneel?"

"The name 'chondrichthyes' refers to fish with a cartilaginous endoskeleton," Natsu began, leaning back in his seat like he was kicking back on the couch at home. "And 'osteichthyes' is derived from the existence of a bony endoskeleton."

"Thank you, Mr. Dragneel, for being the only student to do their homework." The teacher cast a chastising look about the room. Lucy felt personally responsible for the look, even though she had only been there one day.

 _What the hell?!_ She wondered as the lesson went on and Natsu kept answering questions correctly. _This guy knows everything_!

When class was done, the pair left, and again Natsu insisted on carrying her book for her.

"Was I out of it yesterday or something?" She asked as they walked upstairs to her locker. "Because I don't remember any Biology geniuses speaking up in class." Natsu shrugged.

"That's because I wasn't paying attention to the lesson." He said, unconcerned. "Yesterday Col was droning on and on about plant life." He made a noise of disgust. "Who the hell cares about plants?!"

"But you apparently know everything about fish?" She deadpanned.

"Well, duh! Fish are awesome!" He grinned at her. She smiled back in return.

* * *

When lunch rolled around, Natsu was standing outside of the cafeteria, waiting for her. She blinked in surprise at the kind gesture and then gave him a smile.

"Hey, Luce!" He said, taking the bag from her shoulder.

"I can carry my own bag, Natsu," she protested.

"Psh," he ignored her and led her over to a table in the far-left corner of the huge room. It was seated directly under a large expanse of windows, which cast a nice glow about it. It was also one of the only tables that was somewhat off on its own. Lucy didn't know if it was by design or by some unspoken agreement, but there was a good ten feet or so between Natsu's table and all the others, creating a sort of arc-like shape around it.

"'Sup?" Natsu plopped into a chair, depositing Lucy's bag on the table beside him. He folded his hands behind his head, looking perfectly at ease. Lucy just stood there awkwardly, kind of wishing she had just ate with Levy at her table.

A scarlet-haired girl was taking huge bites of strawberry cake, and didn't appear to be eating anything else; a blue-haired boy sat close to her, looking intently at some paper he was reading, occasionally scribbling something down; a black-haired boy with a bored expression scrolled through his iPhone, popping cubes of ice into his mouth like candy; and then there was Natsu, in all his pink-haired glory. He grinned at her widely and gestured for her to sit beside him. She glanced anxiously at the others, wondering if it was really okay that she joined their table. According to Levy, this group was pretty popular.

"What's wrong, Lucy?" Natsu asked, hand still raised toward the seat, face falling ever so slightly as she just stood there.

"Nothing," she squashed her fears and sat down, refusing to let nerves get the better of her.

"Hey!" Natsu called out to the others to get their attention, no one had looked up at their approach. They all finally glanced up, all sharing the same annoyed expression at the interruption.

"Yes?" The scarlet-haired girl asked. Lucy felt a chill run down her spine at the strong and commanding tone of her voice, and the murderous glint in her eyes.

"What do you want, Pyro?" The ice chewer asked, popping another cube into his mouth and biting down. Lucy's teeth hurt just watching him.

"You have a new girlfriend?" Asked Blue Hair with a pointed look in Lucy's direction.

"What?!" Natsu and Lucy said in unison.

"She's not my girlfriend!" Natsu said, at the same time Lucy squeaked out, "I'm not his girlfriend!"

Blue Hair and Ice Chewer shared a knowing look, while Scarlet Hair just shook her head as if exasperated.

"Lucy is my new friend," Natsu said. "I just met her yesterday. I asked her to join us for lunch, and you guys are being idiots!"

Ice Chewer scoffed. "Who are you calling idiot, Pyro?"

"Obviously, YOU, Ice Freak!" Natsu shot back, standing up so fast he knocked his chair over. Lucy jumped in her seat and moved closer to the scary redhead.

"I told you not to call me that!" Ice Chewer jumped up as well and leaned across the table, fists clenched. Natsu did the same, baring his teeth like some feral dog.

"And I told YOU not to call me 'Pyro!'"

"ENOUGH."

Lucy hadn't even seen the woman move, but suddenly both boys let out a groan of pain as the redhead had both of their faces pinned against the table. Blue Hair smirked and returned his attention back to his paper.

"You two should really know better by now," he said in a calm voice. Lucy gaped at the whole scene. She wasn't the only one, their brief fight had caught the attention of most of the cafeteria by then. Some simply shook their heads and laughed it off, like this was some regular occurrence that they were fully used to seeing. A few girls giggled and pointed.

"Shut up, Jellal!" Natsu hissed, voiced muffled by the hand that still held his face. His lips were squished into a pout, and Lucy fought the urge to laugh.

"Don't be alarmed," Jellal said, giving her a small smile. "They're always like this. They'd be a lot worse if Erza didn't put a stop to their childish games." He looked at Erza with fond eyes.

"Oh, yeah?!" Natsu struggled against Erza's hold. "You want a piece of this, Jellal?"

"Silence!" Erza commanded, and Natsu immediately obeyed, falling silent with an amusing whimper.

"Let us go already, Erza!" The other boy said, squirming under her strong hand. She didn't even flinch.

"Are you boys going to behave like proper gentleman?" Erza's tone held an unvoiced threat behind it. Lucy shivered again. Jellal's smirk grew.

"Yes, ma'am," They both said simultaneously, both sounding equally unenthused.

"Fine." She let her death hold on them go and sat back next to Jellal. She smiled over at Lucy as if nothing strange had happened. She pushed her half-eaten cake towards the blonde. "Cake?" She offered.

"Uh..." _These people were insane_! She thought, understanding all too well what Levy had meant when she said they were a little eccentric. Lucy thought that was a bit of an understatement.

"It's _strawberry_ cake," Erza added encouragingly when Lucy didn't say anything.

"I'm okay, thanks." She refused as politely as possible. Erza shrugged and pulled her plate back in front of her, taking another huge bite and sighing happily.

"What about me?" Jellal turned toward her and opened his mouth expectantly. Erza jabbed him with her fork. He chuckled and returned to his paper, flipping it to the next page.

"ANYWAY," Natsu cleared his throat, sitting back down. "This is Lucy, my _FRIEND_." He gestured at the blonde, who smiled back shyly and gave a little wave. "Lucy, this is Gray, Jellal, and Erza." He gestured to each in turn.

"Nice to know SOMEONE is willing to put up with this idiot," Gray snorted, chewing on more ice.

"Hey!" Natsu said, offended.

"Nice to meet you, Lucy." Erza murmured through bites of cake. Jellal nodded politely at her.

"They're a bunch of crazies," Natsu stage whispered in her ear. Lucy giggled and actually began to relax.

* * *

"Sooo, how was it sitting at the popular table?!" Levy squealed in excitement as the two sat in their English class, waiting for their very late teacher. Lucy shrugged.

"They're actually pretty crazy," Lucy admitted. "Natsu and Gray kept picking fights." Levy laughed.

"Those two boys are always getting into fights!" The blunette giggled. "But that scary redhead always stops them pretty quickly, usually before they start breaking things."

"USUALLY?!" Lucy asked in disbelief. "Do they really get that worked up?"

Levy scoffed. "You have no idea, Lu. Those boys are always butting heads, and have been since grade school when they first met." Lucy frowned.

"Then why hang out at all? Why not sit at some other table?"

"I don't know, Lu," Levy shrugged, then a mischievous smile worked its way up her lips. "But I bet YOU could find out!"

"What?!" She squeaked, nearly tripping over in her chair. "How could _I_ find out something like that?"

"You've been accepted into their group now because of that pink-haired guy who likes you," Levy said. Lucy's heart skipped a beat at that last part. She didn't think Natsu liked her like THAT, and she wasn't even sure how she felt herself, but the idea of it still made her stomach do a little flip (not that she'd ever say that out loud, ever). "So, you'll be able to hang out with them more than anyone else ever has! I bet you'll learn all sorts of interesting things!" Levy was getting a look that Lucy was starting to think was pretty common for her, a look that said she was in research mode.

"Yeah, I guess," Lucy agreed half-heartedly. "But I really preferred eating with you and Jet and Droy over those guys."

"Aw, that's sweet of you, Lucy!" Levy grinned at her. "You know you're welcome to sit with us anytime you like!" Lucy smiled at this. Finally, the teacher strode in, graying blonde hair pulled up into a high messy bun atop her head. She had a frazzled look about her. Clearly it had been a no-time-for-tea-or-coffee kind of day. Poor woman...

"Alright, class," the woman adjusted her mop of hair and practically fell into her chair. She pulled open three different drawers before she found what she was looking for, a dry erase marker for the white board behind her.

"Wow, Levy murmured. "Mrs. Reid looks pretty lost today."

"Is this not normal behavior for her then?" Lucy wondered. She still didn't know much about the teachers at this school, but her English teacher HAD looked much more put together yesterday.

"Not at all. She's always on time, and..." Levy gave the woman a once-over. She wore a pair of dark sweatpants and a too-big gray sweater that did nothing for her figure. "And dresses a lot more decent."

"Strange," Lucy murmured. The teacher began the lesson and the two girls fell silent.

* * *

"What do you think was wrong with her today?" Lucy asked once class had ended. Levy shrugged.

"I don't know, but she looked like she was having a bad day."

"Is this her first class of the day?"

Levy shook her head. "No, I think we are her third class. Which means she more than likely didn't show up for her first two."

"That's pretty weird," Lucy said.

"Tell me about it, Lu. Well, I'll see you later!" The two waved goodbye and headed in opposite directions.

Lucy was still pondering the strange way her teacher had been acting when someone nearly knocked her over. At first, she thought it must be Natsu, who had already run into her twice, but this person was a girl. A girl with dark pink hair pulled into twin tails. Lucy felt a shock when she ran into the other girl, and for a moment the two just stared at each other. The other girl's eyes were wide, as if she had felt it too. Lucy recognized the feeling immediately.

"Y-you're a w-"

SMACK!

The other girl smacked Lucy hard across the cheek. "Shut up, you foolish girl!" She hissed, eyes darting around the empty hallway, looking for anyone who might overhear. "Where did you come from? Why are you here?"

"I... Can't tell you." Lucy said, rubbing her stinging cheek. "Was that really necessary?"

"Of course it was!" She spat. "You can't just go around announcing to the whole school what we are!"

"So, you are one," Lucy said. _She's a wizard, too_...

"Of course I am, you stupid blonde! Didn't you feel that when we touched?"

"Well, yeah," Lucy said. "What's your name?" The other girl looked like she might refuse to answer. She narrowed her eyes at Lucy and said nothing for a long time.

"Sherry," she said at last.

"I'm Lucy," Lucy stuck her hand out to shake. Sherry glared at it and swatted it away.

"Just because we're both-" a quick glance around, and then a barely audible whisper. "wizards, doesn't mean we have to be best friends! I don't like you!"

"Excuse me, but you don't even know me!" Lucy was offended that this girl apparently already had some sort of hatred towards her. What had she done to this girl?

"Look, Lucy, was it? We can't very well be around each other without attracting attention. I assume you're at this dreadful place for the same reason as I am, to hide out from Ravens. And in order to do that we need to remain as inconspicuous as possible." Sherry got to her feet and turned her back on Lucy, arms crossed over her chest. "Which means that we absolutely cannot associate." She walked away, shoes clicking loudly on the linoleum.

"Well, that was weird." Lucy muttered, getting to her feet as well. _Another wizard at Fairy Tail High_... She wondered if this Sherry was the only other wizard here, or if there were others hiding out as well.


	4. Fitting In

**Fairy Tail High**

 **Chapter 4: Fitting In**

 **By: xSteleAliniax**

 _I am running... I don't know for what purpose, but I know that I need to run, and I can't stop. I feel as though someone is chasing me, I can feel their heartbeat getting stronger and louder as they get closer and closer, but I don't look back. I know that if I look back they will catch me._

 _It's dark and cold. I appear to be running through a forest, or woods, somewhere with endless trees in every direction. I keep tripping on roots and fallen branches. It hurts. Where are my shoes? Where are my CLOTHES?!_

 _Tears run down my face. Everything hurts, but the icy cold also numbs my senses a bit. I can't even feel my magic power. I try to reach for my keys, but they aren't there. My hand grazes against bare skin and I shudder violently._

 _"Luuuuccyyyy..."_

 _A voice. It echoes from all around me so I cannot trace it direction. I open my mouth to scream, but no sound comes out. I am alone. I am scared._

 _I keep running._

 _This isn't right. Something about this doesn't feel right to me; something is off. Why can't I speak? Why can't I feel my magic? Not having my magic makes me feel more naked and exposed than not having clothes. I would gladly trade my clothing for my magic, any day. Too bad I don't have either right now._

 _"I'm... Coming..." The voice whispers again, sending infinite chills down my spine._

 _"Go away!" I scream inside my head, as I still cannot speak._

 _I run harder, but there is a cliff nearing, one that I cannot see the bottom of from here. I keep running, but my heart races so fast and hard inside my chest I'm sure I'm going to have a heart attack and die before I even reach the edge. What do I do?! Do I go over it? Do I stop?_

 _I slow at the edge, falling to my knees and peering over the edge. Huge waves crash against the side of the cliff, over jagged rocks. It looks to be hundreds of feet down below, into a raging sea of black._

 _I bite my lip, too terrified to jump in, but equally as afraid to turn and face my pursuer._

 _I stand to my feet and close my eyes, willing myself to be brave._

Jump or die, Lucy!

 _I throw myself off the edge. A silent scream erupts from my mouth and I plunge into the water. Just before I hit the icy waves, I hear it._

 _"Luuucyyy..." The voice intones, seeming to come from right beside me. "I've finally found you..."_

* * *

"Ah!" Lucy woke up with a start, covered in sweat and shaking like a leaf on a windy day. Her heart pounded wildly inside her chest, and tears ran down her face. "What. Was. That?" She whispered through her sobs. Another bad dream, but it had felt so REAL. She pulled her knees up to her chest and buried her face in them, sobbing loudly and not caring who heard.

It took her nearly half an hour to shake the effects of the nightmare, and after so much crying and shaking she now felt tired and weak. She didn't want to go to school now and deal with everyone there.

But she had to.

She showered slowly, letting the scalding water wash away some of the pain from the dream. When she was done, she pulled on the first outfit she found, a black skirt and dark purple strapless top with a small white bow in the center of her chest. She found a pair of white boots with purple around the tops and pulled those on over some black socks. She put her hair in her typical half side ponytail and added a purple bow just because it was there. When she looked in the mirror behind her door, however, he didn't look cute or hot like she had been hoping for. She had dark circles under her eyes, her skin a ghostly pallor. She looked sick, or dead.

With a grimace, Lucy rushed into the bathroom to apply some make up in hopes that that would make her look less horrifying. Fifteen minutes later she gave up on trying to hide the paleness of her skin and went downstairs. She looked decent, and hoped no one would notice anything off about her.

"Mira?" She called when she walked into an empty kitchen. No sign of the woman. Lucy shrugged, assuming she was probably just tired and still in bed. She didn't know much about this Mirajane Strauss. Perhaps she went out early this morning?

Lucy checked the microwave and oven just to make sure nothing was left for her, and when she found nothing she just grabbed a granola bar from the pantry and a bottle of water from the fridge, deciding she would just eat on her way to school-she was already running late because of her horrible dream.

She grabbed her bag and stepped outside, closing the door behind her. She was walking down the few stairs on the porch when a voice startled her and she nearly fell down the whole flight of them.

"Hey, Luce! Oh, shit!" Natsu caught her arm just in time before she plummeted.

"Geez." She exhaled a heavy breath, heart pounding again. "Thanks," she looked over at him, seeing the cheesy grin on his face. It almost made her smile back, except... "Wait, what are you doing here?"

"I came to walk you to school!" He snatched her bag from her shoulder and handed her a warm paper bag instead. "And I brought breakfast!" He grinned, biting down on something that smelled delicious.

"You didn't have to do that, she said, but didn't refuse his offering. She opened the bag and a familiar scent wafted into her nose. "Mm. I love blueberry muffins!" She pulled the large muffin out as they walked and took a bite. It was still hot and it tasted like heaven. She almost moaned from the taste.

"Me, too!" He took a huge bite of his and then said, spewing bread crumbs around him as he did, "there's this little shop on the way over here that makes the best muffins in Magnolia." His voice was slightly muffled from the huge bite of muffin he had taken. Normally she would be appalled, but she actually found it to be kind of amusing.

"Really? I hope you didn't go out of your way just to come over here and pick me up." She ate her muffin, but much slower than Natsu. She tried not to take huge bites, even though she thought she could probably stuff the whole thing in her mouth at once.

"Nah, it was on the way! I live just down the street, three blocks down." He pointed in the direction they had come.

"Oh, I see. Well thank you for the muffin, and for carrying my bag again."

"It's no trouble for me! I'm strong like a dragon!" He flexed his muscles and waggled his eyebrows at her. She laughed.

"You're so weird."

"Am not! I'm totally normal!" He stuck his tongue out at her, which was coated in muffin. She laughed again and nearly choked on her own bite. "See? You're the weird one!"

"Whatever," she rolled her eyes but she was smiling.

"So?" He asked, glancing over at her expectantly. He had already polished off his muffin, and was now starting on a second one. Or maybe it was his third.

"So, what?"

"What do you think?!"

"About what?"

"About dragons, DUH!" He rolled his eyes dramatically and poked her cheek. "Aren't you listening?"

"I guess not..." She smiled over at him apologetically. Had she spaced out or something? Maybe she had been too preoccupied with her dream from last night to pay attention to him and his weird topics.

"Earth to Luce," he poked her cheek again.

"Sorry, I guess I'm just a little out of it. What was your question?"

"What do you think about dragons?" This time his tone was completely serious.

"Um... They're okay, I guess." She wondering if he was going somewhere with this or if he was just looking to find someone else who shared his interests.

"Just okay?" His face fell.

"Well... I don't really know much about them, to be honest." She said, hoping to placate him.

"Would you like to?" He suddenly stopped walking and turned to her, face as serious as his voice.

His gaze held hers, and his green eyes were intense.

"Um..." She couldn't think with him looking at her like that! "Sure?"

A slow smile turned up his face. "Great! I'm your guy!"

And so, a discussion about dragons ensued...

* * *

Lucy met Levy in their shared Algebra II class with a ridiculous grin on her face. The blunette took one look at her and grinned.

"Oh, tell me EVERYTHING!" She exclaimed in a low voice. The two girls crowded together, trying to speak as low as possible, even though the room was already alive with conversation from the chattering students. Mr. Conbolt sat at his desk, one leg crossed over the other and a large book propped up on them, looking thoroughly bored. Lucy wondered if he even liked his job. More specifically, she wondered if ANYONE at this school liked their job. As far as she could tell, only Principal Dreyer acted like he enjoyed being here.

"Natsu picked me up at my house this morning." Lucy bit her lip to hide the smile threatening to slip her face. Levi's eyes sparkled with excitement.

"Oh, my gosh, really? That's so romantic!"

"And he brought me a fresh blueberry muffin from some bakery," she added. Levy swooned.

"I wish someone like that would run into me in the hallway." Levy said dreamily.

Lucy laughed.

"It was a strange coincidence I suppose."

"How did you manage to meet such a sweet guy on your FIRST DAY?!" Lucy couldn't decide if her friend looked appalled or amazed, or some combination of the two. "Not to mention one of the most popular boys in school."

"Is there someone _you_ like, Levy?" Lucy asked, mostly to shift the attention off of herself. She had heard enough about Natsu being popular. She didn't want to think of what that made her. She was supposed to be staying off the radar! How was hanging out with popular kids going to do that?

Levy's small face went pink at her question, and she bit her lip and looked away.

"No." She muttered unconvincingly.

"Oh, come on! You have to tell me now!" Lucy urged, leaning closer to her. "I just told you who I like!"

Levy turned a sly grin Lucy's way. "So, you DO like him?" She raised an eyebrow.

 _Crap_. She had lead herself into that one.

"Well... Potentially." She admitted. "He's pretty sweet. I like that. But he's also really weird."

Levy giggled. "You can say that again." A sigh. "Okay... So, there might be this one guy-"

"Time for class, people," Mr. Conbolt announced loudly, interrupting conversations going on around him. "Who wants to pass this year?" He asked, eyeing the students each in turn. Most sat down and immediately tried to look studious, a few rolled their eyes and ignored him completely. "Twelve out of eighteen..." The teacher stroked his purple mustache thoughtfully. "That's almost twenty-percent more than last semester. Now, who would like to tell me how many of you slackers were in this same class last semester?" He raised an eyebrow. "No one? What a shame." He strode to the board and wrote down some equations.

"I want you all to copy these down and work on them during class. I know, you're _oh so grateful_!" He gave a hilarious impression of a high school girl. Several students laughed, but a few girls felt personally offended and folded their arms over their chests and glared at their tables. "I want you all to KNOW this material. Midterms are approaching, people. If you don't know the material, YOU WILL FAIL." And with that encouraging sentiment, he gestured for them to begin.

* * *

Later that day, Lucy found Natsu waiting for her outside the cafeteria again, two trays balanced on one arm, while the other waved over at her, his trademark goofy grin in place. She felt her own smile tug up her lips. Honestly, how could she dwell on her bad dreams with this weirdo around?

"Hey," she said, reaching for a tray. He pulled them away and shook his head at her.

"Nuh-uh, I'm the gentleman here. I will carry the lady's tray." He winked and then pulled open the door with his free hand, waiting for her to walk through. She rolled her eyes but didn't fight him. She stepped into the loud room and then followed Natsu over to his table. He set a tray down and then motioned for her to sit. When she did he sat right next to her, scooting his chair over to be nearer to her.

"Hello, Lucy," Erza greeted politely. She was eating cake again, and only briefly glanced up to smile at her.

"Hi," she smiled back. The two other guys didn't look up from what they were doing. She didn't think they even realized that she and Natsu had sat down.

"Are you still working on that same paper, Jellal?" Natsu asked through bites of food. It was some kind of pasta, but with a greenish sauce and way too much pepper. There was a hard bread roll, half of a canned pear, and a milk to go with it. It looked unappetizing to Lucy, but Natsu and Gray were shoveling it in.

Jellal glanced up at Natsu and then back down on his paper.

"Certainly not," he said. "This is someone else's paper."

"You're doing someone else's homework?" Lucy blurted out before she could stop herself. She cringed at her rudeness. It wasn't her place to judge.

"No, I'm grading papers. I'm a TA in a few classes." He replied.

"Really?" Lucy was impressed. "Are you a senior?"

"Yes,"

That explained why he always had a pen and paper in hand.

"He is quite smart," Erza said, though her tone suggested fact rather than compliment. Jellal took it for the latter, though. He grinned over at her.

"Thank you, _Titania_ ," he said in a low voice. Erza flushed pink.

"I thought I told you not to call me that?!" She hissed in his direction. He shrugged, unconcerned.

"Titania?" Lucy asked in confusion. "I thought your name was Erza?"

"Titania is a nickname of sorts," Gray explained. "It means 'queen of the fairies.' Jellal thought it would be appropriate since our school is called Fairy Tail High, and Erza is a terrifying-" he glanced over at the redhead, who raised a challenging eyebrow in response. "Um, never mind." He muttered.

"Ha!" Natsu laughed. "You guys are all so lame."

"And you're so normal?" Jellal deadpanned. Lucy giggled. Natsu shot her an offended look.

"Hey, not cool, Luce! Whose side are you on?!"

"Mine," she answered without hesitation, sending him a wink. He gave her a pitiful look in return.

"You wound me, woman!" He said, clutching at his chest like she'd struck him. "Women can be so cruel. And here I thought we were friends..."

"I thought she was your girlfriend?" Erza asked.

"Same," Jellal said.

"I never said that!" Natsu exclaimed, turning a little red.

"But you walk her to class," Erza pointed out.

"And carry her things," Gray noted, gesturing at her lunch tray.

"And you gave her a nickname." Jellal added.

"It-it's not like that, okay?! I just like-" he stopped abruptly and shoved a huge bite of food into his mouth. Lucy looked over at him, his face was as red as Erza's hair.

 _I just like_...

What? What did he like? Was he going to say that he liked... _HER_?

Lucy felt her own face heating up, and began eating her food to hide the blush she was sure was coming on. It tasted about as good as it looked.

* * *

"Sorry about them," Natsu said later on, while walking with her to their Biology class. "They jump to conclusions a lot." He gave her a weak smile. She smiled back.

"It's okay, really. They're not so bad."

"Hey, I was thinking..." He trailed off, and she could just see the tints of pink on the tips of his ears.

"Yes?" She prodded when he didn't continue. He took a huge breath and then said,

"Would you like to go out with me this evening?" He peeked over at her from the corner of his eye.

Lucy was stunned. Was he... _Asking he out on a date?!_ Did she want that? She'd only just met him yesterday, but she felt like they had known each other much longer. There was a connection there that she didn't feel with many other people. And she felt oddly comfortable around him.

"As friends," he added when she remained silent.

"I would love to go out with you." She said in earnest, and smiled at him. He finally looked over at her, relief in his eyes.

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Oh yeah! I'm fired up now!" He pumped a fist in the air. Lucy laughed.

"You're so weird, Natsu."

"And you agreed to go on a date with a weirdo, so you must be weird too!" He poked her cheek. She swatted is hand away.

"H-hey, you said we were going as friends! So, it's not a date!" She was starting to feel hot again.

"Oh, I lied." He winked at her. "It's totally a date."

* * *

 **A/N 1: Okay, so I know I said this chapter was the start of an arc, but... I guess I lied haha. Sorry! We needed a little Nalu fluff, though, right?! XD I personally love the idea of Natsu being all sweet, but totally casual about it, like it's just normal for him to show up unannounced and bring her breakfast!**

 **The next chapter will start the arc and get into some action! Woot! Anyway, thank you for reading!**

* * *

 ** _Hime of Hearts_ : Aw you're sweet to say that! I love fan fiction too! It's amazing all the interesting things you can find on here! Thank you for your kind words! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

 ** _yellochickadee_ : Haha I love the idea of Natsu's team being the Populars in high school! And really, when you think about it, Natsu is always helping people and making them feel important. So why wouldn't he be popular?! XD**


	5. Flame Hair

**Fairy Tail High**

 **Chapter 5: Flame Hair**

 **By: xSteleAliniax**

Lucy practically ran through the front door at the end of the day. She slammed the door closed behind her and called up the stairs for Mira. No answer.

"That's strange," she said. She took the stairs two at a time, calling for the white-haired woman. "Mira! Are you home?"

She didn't find her in her bedroom, in either of the bathrooms, and she wasn't willing to go up into the attic to check there. No sign of her anywhere. Lucy was beginning to worry now, but she tried not to let it bother her too much. She was probably just being paranoid because of her dream that night.

She hurried into her room and pushed open the closet doors, looking for something cute to wear on her... Date. She was going on a DATE.

"Oh, God..." She moaned. Was she really going through with this?!

Of course she was.

She pulled out a simple pale blue dress with darker blue flowers around the bottom. She traded her purple bow for a blue flower, and her white boots for a pair of silver sandals. She looked in the mirror and decided she looked cute enough without being overly so. She didn't want him to think she had tried too hard.

"Now to wait," she told her reflection. She nodded once and then stepped out the door. She went to the kitchen to wait for Natsu to come pick her up. And hoped he didn't take too long, she was already starting to feel Mira's absence. The whole house was lonely and quiet. She had only been here a few days, but already she had become used to having the exuberant woman around. She liked Mira, and she found it pretty odd that she hadn't even left a note for her at the very least.

Ten minutes later the bell rang and Lucy tried not to run towards the door. As it was, she jumped out of her chair at the first bell, effectively knocking her chair backwards onto the floor. It landed with a deafeningly loud thud, making her cringe. She righted the thing, grabbed her small silver over-the-shoulder purse, and walked as casually as she could manage to the door.

 _Be strong, Lucy!_ She coached herself, one hand on the doorknob but unable to open it. _You're a capable, confident woman._ she opened the door.

"Hey, Luce!" Natsu grinned at her, then his eyes went a little wide as they took in her new appearance. "Wow, you look... Well... Uh, you look... You know?" He stammered, looking away from her face and scratching his pink hair uncomfortably.

 _Stunning? Beautiful? Sexy?_ Her mind supplied in his silence.

"Uh, blue." He said at last. She didn't know if she wanted to laugh or punch him.

"Um, thanks." She pulled the door shut behind her. She had left a note on the kitchen table for Mira in case she showed up before Lucy got back, letting her know what she was doing. "Where are we going?" She asked. His outfit didn't say much about their destination. He had changed as well, and now wore a pair of gray shorts and a white tee with a dark gray symbol in the center. It was similar to a bird, she thought, and she remembered seeing the principal sporting the same symbol on her first day. Maybe it was their school mascot?

"Downtown," He replied mysteriously.

"Am I dressed okay?" She looked down at her light dress and sandals.

"You're perfect," his voice was barely audible, and when she glanced back up he had his back to her. The backs of his ears were tinted pink.

* * *

"A museum?" She asked in disbelief. As far as dates went, this was a first for Lucy. Not that she was complaining, she actually kind of liked the idea. There were always interesting things to see in a museum.

"Yeah!" He grinned toothily at her. "They just added a dragon section that I've been dying to check out!"

"Oh," Lucy laughed. That was why he had chosen this place.

"We can go somewhere else?" He offered.

"No, I think this is perfect." She said, shooting him a smile. He grinned back.

"Great! Let's go, Luce!" He grabbed her hand and tugged her inside. She felt her face go warm at his touch, but didn't pull away. It was a good kind of warmth.

"Hi!" He said to a tall woman working at a desk just inside the doors. She smiled brightly at the two of them.

"Hello, well aren't you two the cutest couple I ever did see!" She gushed. Lucy felt hot again and tried to pull her hand free, but Natsu's grip was unyielding.

"Thank you!" He said back just as brightly. Lucy wanted to die from embarrassment. Was he purposely trying to make her blush?! "We would love to take a look around," he said.

"Oh, of course!" The woman exclaimed happily. The way she was looking at them, she may as well have had hearts in her eyes. Lucy suppressed a groan. "Go on ahead, you two. No charge for the happy couple!"

"We're not-" Lucy began, but Natsu cut her off.

"Thanks a lot! Come on, Luce." He pulled her down the hall with him until they reached the first room. They stepped inside and looked around. It was dimly lit, and had some kind of old fashioned theme about it. Olden style dresses and suits lined the walls, along with some "electronics" of the past. A dusty typewriter that looked like it hadn't been cleaned in a hundred years, something that almost looked like a phone, except that the ear and mouth piece weren't even attached, and it stood upright with the mouth piece on the top of the device, and numeric keys on the bottom in a circle. Lucy wasn't exactly sure how one would use this thing, but it was interesting to look at.

"Look, a computer!" Natsu pointed at a monstrous thing that was supposedly a computer. He laughed. "That thing is HUGE!"

"Yeah, it's no MacBook, that's for sure," Lucy giggled.

"Let's check out over there." Natsu suggested, pointing over at another room that held paintings and art pieces and the like.

"Ooh, this one is beautiful," Lucy said, stopping in front of a colorful painting that caught her eye.

"Yes, beautiful." He agreed, but he wasn't looking at the painting. She felt his breath on her neck and turned to look at him. A serious expression was settled on his face, mixed with something else she couldn't quite identify.

"What's the matter?" She asked quietly. He stared at her for another moment and then looked away.

"Nothing. Can we go check out the dragons now?" He asked.

"Uh, sure."

He turned a grin her way and gave her hand a squeeze.

 _Oh, right. He still held her hand._

The pair walked up a creaky set of stairs onto the second floor of the building. It was much brighter up here than down on the first floor, and there were also more people. In the first two rooms the duo had looked through there hadn't been a single other person, but now there were at least a dozen others who were all spread out in the large space. Some were taking pictures, some were chatting quietly about what they saw.

"There it is!" Natsu pointed to a sign on a door that read "Dragons of the New Age" in bold red and black script. "New age," Natsu scoffed and rolled his green eyes playfully at her. She smiled.

"Look, Luce!" He pointed excitedly at a life-sized dragon statue. He bounced from foot to foot. "That's so cool!" Lucy smiled fondly at his excitement. He was like a little kid then, happy and eager to see each new thing.

The pair walked from room to room for another half hour or so, checking out each item they found interesting. Of course, they spent the most time in the dragon room, but that was okay by Lucy. It was worth it to see Natsu so excited about something.

As they were walking out, the woman at the desk winked at them and told them to have a good night. She had a dreamy-eyed look, and Lucy wondered what she thought they were going to be doing with the rest of their night. She tried not think too hard about it.

"You want to get some ice cream?" Natsu asked. He was still holding her hand, and sometime during their museum trip they had laced fingers. His thumb traced lightly on the back of her hand. She felt she had a permanent blush to her cheeks.

"Sure," she agreed. "I love ice cream."

"Me, too!" He grinned. She giggled. That wasn't surprising in the least. She thought Natsu probably liked anything edible.

They turned down a side street that Natsu said was a short cut. He swung their hands between them as they walked, humming some song that Lucy couldn't put the words to. It sounded familiar, but-

Just then some unseen force slammed into the pair and they went flying through the air several feet before smacking roughly against a brick wall. Lucy knocked her head on the ground and saw stars dancing in her vision.

Natsu shot up at once, taking on a battle stance like someone from an action movie.

"Who did that?!" He yelled out into the streets. No answer came right away, and Lucy wondered if they had already run away. But after several seconds of silence, a tall woman with long, flowing red hair stepped forward. It was loosely braided, and tied around her back. She wore a nearly identical red dress with a long slit down the side, and a neckline that went clear down to her mid-stomach. It left little to the imagination. Her eyes were wide with something like insanity as she slowly approached them. Natsu's body went tense.

"Hello, Fire Boy," she hissed, wide eyes roaming over Natsu like she wanted to tear him apart. He flinched and glanced back at Lucy. She still felt dizzy from knocking her head on the ground, and her vision was a little blurry, but she could still see the look of fear cross his features. "Ooh, does the wittle dragon have a new girly-friend?" The girl laughed maniacally, making Lucy flinch.

"Who are you?" Natsu seethed, ignoring the question.

"Me?" She asked. A thick strand of hair seemed to point toward her, floating in mid-air. "The name's Flare."

Lucy sucked in a breath. She had heard this name before, though not for a very long time. Natsu heard the sound and glanced back at her in concern.

Bad move.

A thick strand of hair shot towards him at blinding speed, wrapping around his ankles and thrusting him up into the air. He howled as if in pain.

"Natsu!" Lucy shrieked and leapt to her feet. She swayed slightly, but managed to stay upright. She focused her magic energy as best she could. It wasn't impossible to summon a spirit without her keys, but it was difficult.

"Open, gate of the lion! Leo!" She called, sweat beading on her forehead from the effort. It took a moment, but then a finely dressed young man with orange hair sticking up around his head and sunglasses over his eyes (despite it being night) stood before her. He bowed respectfully.

"Hello, beautiful. What can I do for you?"

"Take care of that psycho freak, Loke!" She pointed at Flare, who simply raised a curious eyebrow at them.

"Oh, a celestial wizard. How interesting. I didn't peg you for a wizard at all." Flare did something that made Natsu scream again. "Too bad you'll never be a match for me, Blondie."

"Oh, interesting for sure." Loke said, before lunging at the woman. She didn't so much as flinch. A strand of hair hit him square in the chest, knocking him backwards into Lucy. The two fell. Loke's shirt was smoking.

"What the hell?!" Lucy exclaimed.

"Don't touch her hair, Lucy, it burns!" Loke urged, shoving to his feet and taking up a battle stance. He readied a spell, but Flare was faster. Her hair drove into the ground and disappeared for a moment. Lucy froze from where she still lay half sprawled on the ground.

"Where did it go?" She whispered.

"Luce, behind you!" Natsu yelled, just as the hair pushed out of the ground and wrapped around Lucy's wrists and ankles.

* * *

 ** _Guest_ : AW you are so sweet to say all of those nice things about me! I am so happy that you like this story, and I truly appreciate you taking the time to leave a review. I hope you continue to enjoy what I have in store for this fic!**

 ** _Dark Shining Light_ : Thank you for that lovely review! I truly appreciate all the kind words! Enjoy the "Nalu!" They are my OTP *heart eyes***


	6. Raven Tail

**A/N: I just wanted to say a quick thank you to all of you who have read this story. It really makes my day to see all your wonderful comments! And so many favorites and follows, too! I am truly touched! Thank you all so much! I hope you continue to enjoy this story!**

* * *

 **Fairy Tail High**

 **Chapter 6: Raven Tail**

 **By: xSteleAliniax**

* * *

Lucy screamed as her body was pulled upside down in the air. The thick locks burned her skin like fire, and she felt welts beginning to form. Her skin smoked much as Loke's shirt had. She screamed again, trying to pull free from the stinging hair.

"Lucy!" Loke charged the crazed woman, but she easily knocked him away with her hair. He went flying down the alleyway and slammed against the brick wall with enough force to knock a normal person dead. Loke shuddered from the force, his spirit form shimmering slightly as he began to go back to the spirit world.

"I'm sorry, Lucy, I've failed you..."

"LOKE!" She shrieked in his direction. _Wait, where did everyone go?_

She suddenly froze. Something only just occurred to her...

"HEY! MY DRESS!" She screeched at the woman, as the fabric fell around her face, sealing away her view of her attacker. An unpleasant breeze blew between her legs, making her shiver. "Put me down!"

Flare laughed insanely and gave Lucy a little shake as she hung there, making her dress fall a little more. It barely held around her breasts, and only because of their size. Lucy growled, afraid, but also angry that _her underwear was now showing_!

"You're a real pervert, you know that?!" She hissed in what she thought was the woman's direction.

"Ooh, nasty." Flare laughed again, and then a strand of hair covered Lucy's entire face under her dress. She tried to scream, but the sound was muffled through the thick locks. She couldn't see, couldn't BREATHE! "Hush now, Blondie. It's not your turn to speak."

"You're right, you hairy freak," Natsu's voice rang out in the narrow alleyway, bouncing off the walls there. "It's MY turn. _Fire dragon, ROAR_!" He shouted, voice full of rage.

 _Whaaaat_?!

 _What did he just say?_ Lucy started to wonder if he had spent too much time in the dragon room in the museum.

Suddenly, Flare stopped laughing and began screaming in pain. The hair around Lucy's hands and feet loosened, and she fell hard onto her hands and knees, scraping them roughly on the hard ground. Her dress fell back around her, covering her once again.

"Natsu-" she looked up, already prepared to find him lying on the ground unconscious, or worse, dead. But he wasn't either of those things. He stood in front of Flare with a furious expression contorting his normally animated and happy features. Flare's hair was singed black on the ends. She stood there, raging.

"You. Burned. My. Hair." She growled in a terrifying voice. Lucy scrambled to her feet as the woman's hair began to whip around. "YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT ONE, DRAGON BOY!" She howled in rage as her hair blasted forward with insane speed-

Right towards Lucy. She cringed away from it, pressing herself flat against the wall of the alleyway. She was terrified. How could she possibly get herself out of this one?

"Oh!" She got an idea. "Open, Gate of the Giant crab: Cancer!" She shouted as quickly as she could. A giant crab-like man with hip sunglasses and two pairs of scissors in his hands appeared before them. Natsu gaped openly, gaze flicking back and forth between Lucy and the spirit she summoned.

 _Oh, right. He doesn't know about magic... Too late now._

"Cancer, help me out!" She gestured at the hair that was milliseconds away from slapping her right in the face.

"You got it, baby." He said in a low, cool voice. He shot forward with his scissored hands stretched out before him. When he met Flare's attack, a cloud of dust or something formed and blinded Lucy. A snipping sound occurred, and a moment later the scene dissolved and cleared up. Flare stood with two fistfuls of red hair, expression murderous.

"YOU LITTLE BITCH!" She screamed. "How dare you cut my beautiful red hair! No matter, I still have some I can torture you with!" Her remaining hair flew toward her again, but it didn't get very far before it was consumed in flame. "What the-?!" She shrieked. Natsu's hands were both encased in a brilliant flame. Now Lucy gaped. _Fire_? How was he not getting burned?!

"CURSE YOU WIZARD SCUM!" The woman ran from the alleyway, holding her burning hair in tight fists. The pair stared back at her for a moment, and then Cancer spoke up.

"Will that be all, baby?" He asked.

"Yeah," Lucy was breathless. She hadn't summed two spirits back to back like that without their keys in a long time. Actually, she had never done that. It was too difficult summoning without a key, but she'd somehow managed it twice in one night. "Thanks for your help." She allowed his gate to close.

Natsu turned to stare at her with a strange expression on his face. "Lucy..." He stepped slowly towards her. She waited where she was still pressed against the wall, heart hammering loudly in her chest. He was about to reject her. He was about to tell her she was a freak, or worse, turn her in to the Ravens. "You're a-"

"Wait!" She didn't want to hear it.

"No one is around." He said matter-of-fairly. "I can't smell anyone else."

"I know, I just-wait, what?" He couldn't SMELL anyone?!

"Lucy, it's okay. I'm a wizard too." He stood in front of her now, face still uncharacteristically serious.

A wizard... Oh!

 _His flaming fists, Flare's burning hair, the smell of smoke..._

"You're... A fire user?" She guessed, trying to sound nonchalant about it. _Yeah, so you're a wizard, too. Big deal_.

"I'm a dragon slayer." He said. She gasped. A dragon slayer...

 _"Do you like dragons?"_

 _"What do you think about them? About dragons?"_

 _"Let's check out the new dragon room at the museum."_

"OH," she felt dizzy suddenly. Why hadn't she seen it before?! It was so obvious! Because she hadn't been looking for it. This was supposed to be a place for her to hide. There weren't supposed to be other wizards here, and now she'd seen three! Maybe this place wasn't as safe as her father had thought it was.

"But-wait, I couldn't sense your magic at all." She said after a moment, recalling all the times the pair had touched. When she had touched that girl, Sherry, she had immediately recognized her as a wizard. But she had been holding hand with Natsu all night and hadn't sensed a thing! Was he hiding his magic from her somehow? Was that even possible?

"I sensed yours," he said. "The moment we collided in the hall that first day. I knew."

"Y-you did?" She was surprised. He had known about her this whole time? "Why didn't you say anything?"

Natsu shrugged. "I tried hinting at it." That was true, he HAD tried telling her he was a dragon slayer.

Natsu looked down and frowned. He gently grabbed one of her hands in his and turned it over, fingers dancing over the red skin on her wrist. "You got burned."

"Flare got me pretty good, I guess." She said. Natsu let out a growl and dropped her hand.

"This was all my fault. I never should have taken you out so late at night. This wouldn't have happened if I'd have just left you alone."

Lucy frowned. "What do you mean by that? It was just a bad coincidence that she showed up when she did. It wasn't your fault." Natsu looked back up her, eyes shimmering.

"Yes, it was. She was after ME."

"What? Why?" Her eyes flicked between his.

"Lucy, do you know who that woman is?"

"I've heard of her..." She wasn't really sure who Flare was, only that she was bad news.

"That was Flare Corona, Lucy." He said. She blinked in confusion. "As in, Flare from the dark guild Raven Tail."

"Raven Tail..." Why did that name sound so familiar to her?

"Lucy," Natsu said to get her attention. She looked back up at him. " _Raven Tail_." He repeated, willing her to understand.

"I don't know what that-" she stopped abruptly. But of course she knew. Raven Tail. RAVENS.

"A wizard guild is out there hunting other wizards?!" She exclaimed.

"Shh." Natsu glanced around them, then spoke in a low voice. "Yes. I heard about them about a year ago, that's why I came to Magnolia. They're supposed to be hiding out around here."

"But you've never seen any before today?" Lucy guessed. He nodded.

"Right. That's why Flare was looking for me. She must have heard that I've been snooping around."

"What were you planning to do when you found one of them?" Lucy asked.

"I don't know," Natsu admitted, scratching the back of his head. "I guess I didn't think that far ahead. But now she got away." He slammed a fist into the wall behind Lucy's head. She flinched. His fist had made a small dent in the wall, and pieces of brick rained down on the ground. His eyes were pinched shut, teeth clenched. In a bold move, Lucy stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him tightly. He stiffened, like he wasn't used to being hugged. His heart was pounding impossibly hard inside his chest, Lucy could both hear it and feel it.

"It wasn't your fault," she whispered.

"I let her go." He shook slightly, like the weight of that statement was too hard to bare. "I'm such an idiot."

"Well, that much is true."

It wasn't Lucy who had spoken then. A new voice spoke from the shadows, and the pair jumped apart in alarm.

"You _are_ an idiot," Gray stepped out of the shadows. "But she's right, it wasn't your fault."

" _GRAY_?!" They exclaimed in unison.

"That was sloppy, Natsu," Erza stepped forward beside Gray, and Jellal followed close behind, arms crossed over his chest, blue bangs hanging over his forehead.

"Pathetic." He said.

"Wha-?! WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU GUYS DOING HERE?!" Natsu exclaimed, pointing a finger at them accusingly. Erza shrugged nonchalantly.

"We assumed you were in need of our assistance." Her gaze flicked toward Lucy, who stood gaping at the three newcomers. "We weren't aware that your girlfriend possessed magic as well."

"She's not my girlfriend!" Natsu's face flushed red. Erza raised an eyebrow. Jellal smirked.

"Weren't you just cuddling?" Gray asked.

"Wha-NO WE WERENT!" Natsu clenched his fists and dropped into a battle stance. "Do you want to have a go now, Ice Boy?!"

"Any day, anywhere." Gray took up a similar stance. Erza intervened, knocking their heads together.

"There will be none of that." She commanded.

"When are you two going to learn?" Jellal shook his head.

"What's going on here?" Lucy asked, feeling seriously out of the loop. Erza glanced over at her and then looked back at Natsu.

"You mean you haven't told her?" She asked in a terrifying voice. Natsu and Lucy cringed simultaneously.

"I was getting there!" He said defensively. He poked a lip out in a pout. Erza sighed.

"Well, I guess a conversation is in order. Lucy," she pointed a finger at the blonde. She stiffened. "You will come back to our base with us."

"Base?"

"Yes." Erza nodded. "We need to discuss how to proceed."

"Proceed?" She repeated, feeling like a broken record.

"We must go after Flare Corona and the rest of the Raven Tail guild at once." Erza said.

"That chick is seriously insane." Natsu said with a shudder.

"I have seen her fight once myself, a few years ago," Erza frowned. "Though she was not nearly so powerful then, based on the looks of the two of you."

"Maybe Natsu's just not tough enough to fight a little girl." Gray suggested with a shrug.

"You want a piece of this, Gray?!" Natsu shot over at him.

"Boys," Erza warned. They both deflated at once.

"What type of magic does this woman possess?" Jellal asked.

"Some kind of freaky hair magic!" Natsu said.

"Her hair can create creatures that can harm you," Erza added. "And by the looks of Lucy's wrists and ankles, it also has the ability to burn its target."

"She drove her hair straight into the ground!" Lucy shivered, recalling the attack that had sprung up from the hard asphalt. "And it doesn't seem to have many weaknesses. One of my spirits cut several inches but it barely slowed her down. And Natsu burned it, but all that seemed to do was make her angrier."

"And that's when she got away?" Jellal asked, voice thoughtful.

"Yup." Natsu nodded. "And I couldn't go after her because I was worried about Lucy. I had to make sure she was okay first..." He trailed off and didn't meet her gaze.

"That was the right thing to do." Erza said, giving him a rough pat on the back. "Don't worry, Natsu, we'll catch up to her and her dark guild."

"Yeah," he didn't sound too convinced. Lucy's heart broke for him. It was all her fault. If she hadn't been there, Natsu could have gone after Flare; she wouldn't have gotten away. Her vision swam. With tears?

"What's the matter?" Erza's voice spoke directly to Lucy. She didn't realize that she had been slumped forward, hands resting against her knees. She tried to stand up straight, but her body wouldn't move. She fell to her knees.

"I'm just... Tired..." She whispered, then blacked out.

* * *

 **A/N: So, originally, the Raven Tail guild had absolutely nothing to do with the wizard hunting guild "Ravens." I actually hadn't even seen that part in the anime when I started this story, and the idea for the name actually came from something else. I decided to use the name "Ravens" for the guild hunting and killing wizards, because of the term "a murder" instead of a flock or whatever else. It seemed appropriate haha. Anyway! When I learned about the Raven Tail guild during the Grand Magic Games arc, I thought "Well, why not?!" They already want to kill all of Fairy Tail, so they make the perfect villains for this story. Well, I think so XD Thank you so much for reading this story! You guys are awesome! There will be lots more action in the upcoming chapters, so look forward to that!**

* * *

 ** _Dark Shining Light_ : Haha, I update every Friday XD I love Nalu fluff! And action is always fun. Thank you for your comments!**

 ** _Hime of Hearts_ : Sorry about that, haha. I'm glad you like the story, though!**

 ** _DeathLord-92_ : Thank you! And there will definitely be some more Nalu soon!**

 ** _Abdltf_ : I hate Flare, too! She's so creepy! And MEAN. She makes a great villain, though! And of course sexy Natsu couldn't be the enemy ;-) That would be just cruel! Thanks for your review!**

 ** _nonesensesticks_ : Thank you! That means a lot! XD**


	7. A Plan of Action

**Fairy Tail High**

 **Chapter 7: A Plan of Action**

 **By: xSteleAliniax**

Lucy's eyes blinked open groggily, still blurry from sleep. She yawned widely and rubbed at her eyes to clear them. She frowned at the unfamiliar room around her. It wasn't her room back home, and it wasn't her new room at Mirajane's house, this was somewhere else.

She slowly sat up, feeling an aching throb in her head that made her wince. What had happened to her? The last thing she remembered was talking to Natsu about... What _had_ they been talking about? Something about dragons...

She surveyed the room around her, wary but not afraid. She had been with Natsu recently, and she could still feel his presence in the room, as weird as that sounded. Maybe she was just imagining it.

The room wasn't small, but it was made to look so with all the stuff piled around. She looked to be in some sort of makeshift study, with a large oak desk piled high with papers, pens, maps, and the like. A filing cabinet sat in one corner, and a small bookshelf holding various volumes of what she thought to be encyclopedias or other research type texts. She recognized one as being a biology text, one about fish as it was. She smiled at that, recalling Natsu's expertise on the matter. The walls were covered in more maps with different colored stick pins dotting the surfaces in various areas. A small fridge sat in another corner, giving off a faint hum. Lucy lay on a worn leather couch, a soft, blue blanket tucked around her. A small lamp cast a warm glow about the room.

Lucy slid the blanket off of her and got to her feet, stumbling a little as dizziness tried to pull her back down. She thought she could hear voices coming from the other side of a dark wood door, but she couldn't make out what they were saying or who they belonged to. Curious, she walked toward the door to peek outside of it. She didn't feel trapped or anything, but the study was rather claustrophobic. She wanted to get out and find out what was going on, and, more importantly, _where the hell she was_!

She reached for the knob carefully, wondering if it would be locked. That was what always happened to heroines in the books she read. They, too, were always naive in their beliefs that nothing bad was going on. Swallowing back the lump in her throat, Lucy placed her hand on the cool metal door handle, and gave a twist of her wrist. The knob turned easily in her hand and she heaved a sigh of relief, pushing the door outward.

A warm scent wafted into her nose and she breathed it in, feeling her stomach grumble in response. When had she last eaten? At lunch, she supposed, though she hadn't eaten much of that due to its strange flavor. So, someone was cooking. That was a good sign, right?

 _Unless they plan to fatten you up so they can eat you!_ Her mind said snidely. She halted where she stood. No. That was just ridiculous. This wasn't some fairy tale. No one was going to eat her.

 _They might poison you, though_. Her mind reasoned. Ugh. Why was her own mind trying to scare her?! She shook off the terrified thoughts. She would be brave. She was strong... Sort of. She could probably hold her own. _If only she had her keys_...

"Whatever." She muttered, annoyed. She wasn't going to just stand around like some helpless damsel. She nodded once in determination and then slipped through the door.

She followed the sounds of muffled voices down a long, dark hallway. It was a little creepy, she had to admit, and kind of reminded her of this thriller she had once seen. She kept walking, though. A light was visible from underneath a door at the far end of the long hallway, creating the tiniest bit of light in the hall. The door must have been made of some soundproof material, because even as she got closer she could not make out the words coming from behind it. She pressed her ear against the door once she reached it, and closed her eyes to better listen. Surely, she could hear from this close-

"Ow!" The door opened, and Lucy fell ungracefully inside a brightly lit room.

"Oops, sorry, Luce!" Came a familiar voice. She looked up to see a pink-haired boy grinning down at her apologetically. "I didn't know you were awake! I was just coming to check on you."

"Natsu?" She asked, just to clarify that it was really him.

"Yeah!" He grinned at her and then stretched out a hand toward her. She took it and he helped her to her feet. "You alright, Lucy? You look kinda pale."

"Do I?" She hadn't looked in a mirror upon waking, and suddenly felt self-conscious. What DID she look like? She smoothed out her hair as best she could. Natsu smiled at her, then leaned close to whisper.

"Don't worry about it, you still look beautiful." He winked, then turned away from her, leaving her standing there gaping. _Beautiful_? Had he really just used that word? She felt a dopey smile start to cross her face and bit her lip to keep it back. She cleared her throat and followed Natsu into the room.

A brightly lit kitchen opened up before her, with a huge island counter in the center, and lots of counter space around. However, currently most of it was being occupied by various cooking ingredients. Carrots, celery, potatoes, and green and red peppers were diced neatly on a cutting board. A steaming pot sat on the stove, emitting a familiar and very enticing scent. Her mouth watered. A couple of large bowls sat on another counter with contents she couldn't quite see from where she stood. She walked closer, examining one of the bowls.

"Cake mix?" She asked in surprise. And some kind of homemade frosting appeared to be in the making in the second bowl. Natsu chuckled.

"Yeah... Erza likes her cake." He shrugged, as if there was nothing more to say on the matter.

"You cook?" She asked, impressed. She didn't know how to cook for anything, and rather liked the idea of knowing someone who could. Natsu laughed.

"Hell, no! This is all Erza. She's the only one of us that can cook anything more than canned soup. Well, I made a pot pie once." He said with a smirk.

"Really?!" She loved pot pie.

"Yeah! It still counts if it came from a box, right?" He grinned and she laughed.

"Sure. You still had to cook it, right?" She offered.

"Yeah! I had to use the oven and everything!" His face radiated pride. She smiled at his enthusiasm. Then something occurred to her and her smile fell.

"Wait, where are we? And where is everyone else?" She could still hear muffled voices coming from somewhere, but no one else was in the kitchen with them.

"Oh, this is our BOO!" He winked. She raised an eyebrow.

"BOO?" She asked in disbelief. Natsu cackled.

"Base of Operations, duh!" He seemed quite pleased with himself.

"Hilarious." She said flatly. "So, where's the rest of your team?"

"Gray is taking a nap, I think, and Jellal and Erza are in the other room 'discussing battle strategy.'" He used his fingers to make air quotes. She didn't want to know what he THOUGHT they were doing.

"Okay, so how did I get here?" She was still a bit hazy on the details. She remembered walking through the museum with Natsu, and then... A gasp.

 _Flare Corona... Raven Tail._..

Right. She and Natsu had been attacked by that creepy-eyed Raven Tail girl. She must have fainted like the total idiot she was. Really, how could she just pass out like that?! It must have been the strain of summoning those two spirits without her gate keys. She knew she wasn't supposed to do that, her mother had warned her of the dangers of summoning a spirit without their gate key, but she'd never been without them before! How else was she supposed to defend herself?

"I might have carried you here..." Natsu muttered under his breath. He looked away from her, at another cutting board which held two different kinds of meat, all diced perfectly symmetrical in shape. Lucy wondered how someone could get each cube the exact same size. Maybe it was part of her magic. Was there even a type of magic that could slice chicken into perfect cubes?

"Wait," realization dawned on her. "You CARRIED me here?" She shifted uncomfortably on her feet, fingering the very short hemline on her dress. If he carried her all the way here, wherever HERE was, in this short dress...

"I didn't see anything." He blurted out, and she could see the backs of his ears go red. "I swear. I didn't look. I just... Didn't want to leave you there, you know? Besides, it was all my fault that you were lying there on the ground anyway..." His voice was a barely audible mumble, and Lucy had to strain to catch the words. Her face softened.

"Natsu-"

A door burst in, and Erza and Jellal strode into the kitchen, making Lucy and Natsu both jump in surprise.

"Good, you're awake, Lucy." Erza commented upon entering. She gave Lucy's state a once-over. "How are you feeling?"

"Dammit, I should have asked that..." Natsu muttered despairingly.

"Better," she said honestly. "Still a bit hazy on some details for some reason."

"You took quite the beating this evening." Jellal tapped the side of his head for emphasis. Lucy frowned in thought.

"Did I?" She thought back to the fight with Flare. She remembered Flare's hair burning...

Her cheeks flushed bright red. Flare had hung her upside down, exposing her underwear to the world. _Sweet, Mavis... Please tell me that Natsu didn't-?_ She bit her lip and looked slyly over to where Natsu still stood. His ears were still pink, and he kept his back to her. She wanted to DIE.

"Natsu-" she began.

"I didn't see anything!" He cut her off insistently. "I didn't look!" _Oh, so that was what he had meant earlier..._

"What are you going on about?" Gray walked into the room, yawning and stretching his arms over his head. His bare chest shimmered slightly in the bright kitchen.

"Gray, your clothes." Jellal remarked with a smirk.

"Huh?" He looked down and jumped when he realized he wasn't wearing a stitch of clothing... "Oh, crap!" He turned and ran back through the door he had just come through. Lucy felt ten shades hotter than before.

"Such a strange boy." Erza shook her head, then walked over to the stove to test the broth steaming in the huge pot. After a moment, she nodded. With practiced precision, Erza dumped the contents of the two cutting boards into the pot without making the broth inside slosh out. Lucy watched her curiously. She had never spent too much time in the kitchens back home, meals were always just prepared for them, and then placed on the dinner table at the appointed hour. It was interesting to see the way such meals were prepared.

Watching Erza cook made Lucy think of her new fake aunt. She wondered if Mira had made it home yet, and if so, if she was worried about Lucy for being out so late. She had mentioned in her note that she was going out with a friend, and would be back by ten, but Lucy had no way of knowing what time it was now. She didn't have a cell and couldn't see a clock anywhere. She hoped Mira wasn't too worried.

"Look," she started to say that she needed to go home and make sure her "aunt" wasn't waiting up for her, when Natsu cut her off.

"This is all fun and all, but shouldn't we be discussing the plan now that everyone is awake?" He asked. He was now leaning against a wall, arms crossed over his chest as he stared at Erza with impatience.

"We will have time for that after cake!" She insisted in a scary voice that sent a chill down Lucy's spine. She recalled seeing the redhead inhaling cake the last two days at lunch, and wondered how she kept her figure if she ate like that every day. Lucy glanced down at her own body. She was certainly thin, but she didn't think she could eat the way Erza did and stay that way. She must exercise a lot.

"I suppose we can start planning now." Jellal said. He had his head in one of his hands and his eyes were closed as he leaned against the wall. Lucy wondered if he was thinking about something, or just really tired.

"Yes," Erza agreed. She poured the cake batter into a pan and then placed it into the oven. She set a timer for thirty-five minutes and then turned to the rest of the group. Gray had returned also, and stood in the doorway, waiting. Erza continued. "We have wasted enough time already. We need to take action soon, before it's too late." Lucy felt a chill run down her spine.

"Too late?" She asked in a small voice. Natsu spoke up beside her, giving her a small smile.

"She means, the longer we wait here, the fainter Flare's trail will become."

"Like... Her magic trail?" Lucy asked. Natsu shook his head.

"Nah. Her scent trail. I'm gonna sniff her out!" He grinned down at her. She felt a smile tugging at her lips. _What a strange thing to say._..

"Alright," Erza paced the room, a look of complete concentration on her face. "If Natsu is able to pick up Flare's scent it will make things fairly easy."

"And then we just have to infiltrate their hiding place." Jellal added.

"Oh, is that all?" Gray muttered.

"No," Erza said. " Then we must find these Raven Tail fiends and turn them in at once!"

"Wait, what?!" Lucy exclaimed. "You mean we're just going to turn them in to the police?" Surely that wouldn't do any good.

"Certainly not." Erza's tone implied that this was a ridiculous notion. "Have you not been made aware of the Magic Council?"

"No... Are they like the magical police, then?"

"In a sense. They work to keep the magical world safe and hidden." Erza explained. "They used to serve a different purpose, of course, back before wizards became all but extinct. But now they do what they can to protect those of us that are left. That's how the four of us came to be here."

"Wait, really?!" A magic council brought all four of them to Magnolia? It couldn't be a coincidence that she, too, had ended up here. And then there was that Sherry girl... And now Raven Tail, an entire dark guild. Her father had told her that she would be safe here, but what if he had sent her here purposely, to fight against this guild? She didn't THINK her father would purposely put her in dangers path, but then, she didn't really know her father too well.

"Yeah," Natsu sounded unenthusiastic. "I wouldn't be hanging out with these freaks by choice."

"Watch it, Pyro."

"You watch it, Ice Princess!"

"I told you not to call me that!"

"And I told you boys to be quiet." Erza snapped, shooting them a glare. They huffed but fell silent.

"It's settled then," Erza announced. "We will leave at once. But first..." She closed her eyes a moment, and a brilliant light enveloped her body. Lucy watched in amazement as her blouse disappeared, and was replaced instantaneously with a silver chest plated armor with gauntlets down her arms and covering both hands. Lucy gaped. _What the hell?!_

"It's called requipping," Jellal murmured, catching her surprise. Lucy jumped. She didn't realize he had been standing so close. He had a strange look on his face as he stared at Erza. "Amazing, isn't she? She can requip hundreds of different armor and weapons."

"Weapons?!" Lucy felt faint again.

"Can we get this show on the road or what?" Gray suddenly asked in a bored tone. Lucy glanced over at him, and then had to do a double take.

"WHERE ARE YOUR CLOTHES?!" She covered her face and looked away. He was standing there in only his underwear, again. This group was insane! She should have never sat at their table... Surely Levy's friends weren't this weird.

"What? Crap!" Gray hurriedly found his clothes and shoved them on.

"Honestly, Gray," Erza shook her head in exasperation. "That is a filthy habit. There's no decency in changing your clothing in front of others."

"You just did the same thing!" Lucy pointed out. Erza frowned, thinking.

"Hmm. That's hardly the same."

"I agree." Jellal said quietly, still staring at her with that strange expression. It was making Lucy just a little uncomfortable.

"Yeah, you pervy flasher!" Natsu agreed, pointing a finger at Gray as he struggled to put his shoes back on. "You shouldn't strip in front of girls! That's just nasty!"

"Shut up, Pyro!" Gray shot back.

"Poor Lucy," Natsu's voice dripped with sarcasm. Lucy raised an eyebrow. "She'll be scarred for life now..." Gray bared his teeth and looked ready to attack, but Jellal stepped into his path before he made it two feet. His expression was completely neutral, but Gray cringed away from him like he had backhanded him. Lucy didn't understand any of these people...

"Uh, so do we have everything we need?" Lucy asked when the room fell silent.

"Yeah," Natsu suddenly deflated, like the lack of fight was exhausting to him. "We better go before her trail disappears."

"Yes, let's move!" Erza nodded once more and then led the way out the door.

* * *

"Well?" Gray asked impatiently. Natsu was sniffing around the area where he and Lucy had fought Flare not too long ago. Lucy had no idea what was supposed to happen, or what exactly this was going to do to help them find Flare and Raven Tail, but she trusted that Natsu's friends new him better than she did. And if they had faith that this would work, she may as well go along with it. She certainly didn't have any better ideas. And if she could get rid of this Raven Tail guild quickly, then she could home! She would be safe once more.

A gloomy sadness began to weigh heavily on her at that realization. Wait, why was she SAD that no one would be hunting her anymore?! Was she crazy? Did she WANT to be in danger?

No. That wasn't it.

She glanced over at where a pink-haired boy crouched, nostrils flared, eyes scrunched in concentration, expression determined. She felt a throbbing in her chest. She bit her lip and looked away, back toward the street were Erza and Jellal stood watch. They both stood with crossed arms as they kept an eye out for any attackers. Their posture was firm and unwavering, two soldiers standing at attention...

"I think I've got it!" Natsu's hissed whisper brought Lucy's attention back to the mission. She looked back at Natsu, who was now standing. He was looking away from her, pointing in the opposite direction. "There!"

"Guess you're not completely useless, are you?" Gray gibed. Natsu ignored him.

"Go tell Erza and Blue Hair to come on!" He urged Lucy. She nodded and hurried down the alleyway to tell the other two members. They both nodded at once and followed her back down the alley, toward where Natsu and Gray were. They were already walking in the opposite direction, toward whatever scent trail Natsu had finally picked up on.

"Man, this smells nasty!" Natsu complained. Ten minutes had gone by and they still hadn't found anything, but Natsu swore he could still smell Flare's burned hair. Lucy was glad she didn't have dragon slayer senses because she didn't want to know what burning hair smelled like.

She suddenly stiffened. What did HER hair smell like? She had washed it this morning, but that was several hours ago, before she was dragged around on asphalt by some lunatic. Ever so covertly, she wound a strand around her index finger and sniffed. She didn't smell anything abnormal, just the last remaining remnants of her floral shampoo, but that didn't mean Natsu wouldn't smell something she couldn't. She really hoped that wasn't the case...

The team of five continued along at a slow but reasonable pace. Natsu occasionally stopped walking to sniff the air, or crouch low to sniff the ground, but other than that they kept a pretty decent walk. Lucy's feet were starting to hurt a little between her toes from the sandals she wore, and she struggled not to lose the loose-fitting shoes as they walked. No one else appeared bothered in the least, and walked forward with determination and purpose. Lucy took a deep breath and followed their lead. She didn't want them thinking she was the weak one in the group, even though she probably was since she didn't have her gate keys.

"I think..." Natsu stopped, sniffing the air again. "I think, we're getting close."

 _Finally_... Lucy thought miserably. After another minute or two of walking, the pink-haired dragon slayer stopped walking abruptly. So abruptly that Gray, who was walking right behind Natsu, slammed right into his back. Natsu barely even budged.

"What gives, Flame Brain?" Gray snapped, cringing away from the contact the two had shared. Natsu said nothing, just continued staring open mouthed. "What are you-Oh, wow."

The rest of them caught up, similar expressions of amazement on their faces. A huge, expansive castle stretched out before them.

"I think... This is it."

* * *

 **A/N: Sorry if this chapter is kind of slow and boring, I promise the next one will start picking up the pace again! There really wasn't an interesting way to get them from point A to point B, so... *Shrug* But I think you'll all like the next chapter!**

* * *

 ** _Hime of Hearts_ : Thank you! XD That is so nice to hear! I'm so glad you like it so much!**

 ** _QuietHero3932_ : Thank you! It gets more interesting after this chapter, I promise! **

**_Compucles_ : Nope! I am actually still watching the Grand Magic Games arc right now. I want to say it's somewhere near the end, but, well, some of these arcs go on for an eternity, so... Yeah, haha. But, yeah I heard that Flare might not be so bad, but for the purpose of this story, she makes a great villain. She's creepy as hell, anyway. **

**_An Amber Pen_ : Will do! Thank you! XD**


	8. Infiltrate the Raven Tail Castle

**Fairy Tail High**

 **Chapter 8: Infiltrate the Raven Tail Castle**

 **By: xSteleAliniax**

Lucy stared up at the ridiculously large castle-type building with wide eyes and mouth agape. _What the hell?!_ She wondered. They were hardly living under the radar if they were living in this huge, creepy castle. Lucy wondered if they even had the right lead. Maybe Natsu wasn't as skilled with his dragon slayer nose as he thought he was. Surely a group of evil wizards living in a giant castle would attract SOME attention.

"I don't get it," Natsu said from beside her, as if echoing her thoughts. "When did this monstrosity show up in Magnolia?"

"I've never seen this building here," Gray was frowning up at it, looking equally confused. "And I've lived here a lot longer than most of you."

"Well, it didn't just pop out of nowhere," Lucy said. She studied the towering stone walls. It looked a lot like one of those medieval castles from one of those Dracula stories, complete with large stone gargoyles and creepy night sky. Lucy swore she saw a strike of lightening flash across the sky.

"You're right about that," Erza agreed. Lucy glanced over at the redhead, who's expression was a mix of determination and puzzlement. She had a hard look in her eyes, one that made a chill run down Lucy's spine. "So why have none of us seen it before?"

"It is illusion magic." Jellal spoke up from behind them. They all turned around to stare at him with varying degrees of disbelief.

"What?!" Natsu was the first to exclaim. "But we can clearly touch the thing!" Natsu pounded a fist onto the stone surface of the great wall as proof.

"How do you know?" Erza asked, ignoring Natsu completely.

"I can just tell." His mysterious reply left them with even more questions, but they couldn't stand around outside chatting about it all night. They needed to hurry up and find a way inside before anyone realized they were there, if they hadn't already. For all they knew, the whole Raven Tail guild was lying in wait, kicking back with a cocktail as the young wizards talk right under their nose.

"How do we get inside?" Lucy asked, looking around the large courtyard. "I don't even see a door." Natsu snorted.

"What, did you expect us to just walk up and ring the bell?" He started to laugh, but Erza knocked him hard in the back of the head. "Ow! What was that-"

"We need to keep quiet." She hissed, expression murderous as she glared down at the pink-haired boy. He cringed away.

"Yes, ma'am!"

"She has a point, though." Gray came up to stand beside Lucy, on the opposite side that Natsu was standing on. He craned his neck and looked up, as if looking for a door somewhere on the tall towers. "Maybe we could climb it?"

"Don't be ridiculous." Erza immediately rejected the idea, much to Lucy's relief, as she was still wearing sandals. She didn't think she could climb in any shoes, but tiny sandals would definitely leave her at a disadvantage. She should have insisted on running home to change.

Glancing down, she realized that not only was she wearing sandals, but she was also still in her very short, very thin blue sun dress. Ugh...

 _Way to go, Lucy..._

"What's wrong, Luce?" Natsu asked, watching her squirm uncomfortably.

"Uh, nothing."

"Are you sure?" He pressed, leaning in to whisper quietly to her. "You have a look." She stiffened. _A look?_

"I'm just thinking about this strange castle, that's all." She lied. Natsu visibly relaxed.

"Don't worry, Luce. We'll be in and out in no time!" He smiled cheekily at her. She smiled back.

She sighed and looked back over at the castle. Her brown eyes traveled over the gray stones slowly, trying to figure out a way that they could get through them. Maybe there was a hidden door somewhere? She looked up again at the towers. They couldn't go over the thing, it was way too big for that, and as far as she knew none of them could actually fly...

"Hey, wait a minute!" Lucy suddenly got an idea. She glanced around them to make sure there were no passersby and then closed her eyes, focusing her magic. It was difficult, between her earlier fight with Flare and summoning two spirits already, and lack of sleep from all the nightmares she'd been having, it was a wonder Lucy could still even grasp the magic.

"What's she doing?" Gray asked.

"Summoning a spirit, duh." Natsu rolled his green eyes.

"Without a key?!" Gray exclaimed in a hiss.

"She just said she left them at her house, idiot!"

"Who you calling idiot, idiot?!"

 _BANG_.

Two heads knocked together. Two boys stopped fighting and fell silent. One scarlet-haired mage smirked. One blonde celestial mage concentrated harder.

Lucy gritted her teeth, sweat beading on her forehead. She didn't know if she had enough magic energy left to summon her, but she had to try. She couldn't just sit back and do nothing. She put everything she had into it, willing the magic to take form.

"Open," she breathed, the word barely audible. "Gate... Of the... Maiden." She gasped out the words, her magic barely, barely holding. It wouldn't be enough. It was too hard! She would never-

"Hello, Princess." A familiar voice spoke from behind her. A collective gasp. Lucy let out a long breath and nearly fell over with both relief and exhaustion.

"Virgo," she breathed. Her pink-haired spirit looked at her in concern.

"What seems to be the trouble, Princess?" Virgo asked.

"Princess?!" Natsu gaped, green eyes flicking back and forth between Lucy and the spirit.

"It's not what it looks like," Lucy said hastily. "I'm not REALLY a princess... Virgo just calls me that because... Well... Uh," how was she supposed to explain how the bonds between wizard and spirit worked? It didn't even make sense to her sometimes, but to an outsider like Natsu, it really wouldn't make sense.

"I call you Princess because you won't let me call you Your Majesty." Virgo said. Natsu nodded.

"Oh, makes sense."

"No, it doesn't, Flame Brain!" Gray exclaimed.

"Gray," Erza warned. Gray crossed his arms and looked away before a fight could start. Lucy shook her head and ignored them, turning back to Virgo.

"We need to get inside that castle. Do you think you can help us out?" She gestured at the base of the castle.

"Certainly, Princess. Would you like to punish me first?"

"Wha-NO!" Lucy flushed. Natsu laughed. Gray chuckled. Erza looked surprised. Jellal looked curious.

"Very well," Virgo nodded and walked over to the spot Lucy had indicated. Her tiny body drilled into the ground near the castle wall, and within seconds she had disappeared.

"Whoa!" Natsu watched with wide, excited eyes. "That's so cool!"

A moment later, Virgo popped her little head out of the hole.

"It is done, Princess."

"Great! Thanks, Virgo!" She shot her spirit a thumbs up.

"Will you punish me now?" She asked seriously. Lucy facepalmed.

"Do you normally respond with punishments after your spirits have given you their aid?" Asked Erza, still wearing that surprised expression. Lucy flushed again.

"It-it's not like that, I swear! She's just weird!"

"She's AWESOME!" Natsu corrected, bouncing up and down on the ground. "She drilled a hole right through the ground! Using only her body! I'm so jealous!"

Four sets of eyes blinked at him in disbelief. Virgo smiled proudly.

"Thank you," she said. "Would YOU like to punish me?"

"Uh-" that pulled Natsu up short.

"Let's just go." Lucy suggested, ignoring her strange spirit. "Thanks for the help, Virgo!"

"It's no problem, Princess. Do be careful." The maiden bowed and disappeared in a wink of light.

Natsu was the first to jump into the hole. Then he reached up and helped Lucy down, careful not to look under her dress as he lifted her into the hole.

"Thanks," she whispered. He winked. Gray followed, then Jellal, and Erza pulled up the rear.

"Do you think they heard anything?" Lucy whispered, looking around the dark room. A cool breeze blew through the room from the hole Virgo had made, making the hairs on her arms stand on end. She shivered, wrapping her arms around herself. "It's so dark!"

"I got it," Natsu suddenly held a flame in his palm. The orange light shown on his face as he grinned over at Lucy. She shot him a thumbs up and then turned to survey the room. She blanched.

"Wh-What is this place?!" Lucy kind of wished Natsu hadn't brought light to this particular room...

Erza raised an eyebrow at the room, taking in all the leather furniture, and various items hanging on the plush red walls. Lucy's eyes flicked around the room uneasily, and she suddenly felt very cold.

"It looks like some kind of... Torture chamber..." Erza choked out.

"Why is everything padded?" Natsu asked. He walked over to a padded red bench and sat down. "Comfy." He said. Gray gagged a little. Lucy and Erza gaped. Jellal had his eyes closed and a hand to his face, which was turning a red shade to match the room.

"You idiot!" Gray exclaimed, pointing a finger at Natsu. "Don't sit on that!"

"Why not?" Natsu asked, confused. "I'm just taking a little break."

"Do you know what that's used for?!"

"Sitting?"

Lucy facepalmed. Maybe he was smart in biology, but clearly this kid had no common sense.

"Let's get out of here before someone throws up." Lucy suggested.

"Indeed." Erza nodded her agreement and strode forward toward the door, which was padded and red also. Her hand hesitated over the doorknob as if she were afraid to touch it. After a few moments of intense concentration, Erza pulled her hand away and pointed a stern finger at Natsu. He still held the ball of fire, and stood beside Lucy with a lazy expression. That is, until Erza pointed a death glare at him. He cringed and stood up straight. "Natsu,"

"Y-yes?"

"You will open this door at once." She commanded. Lucy shuddered at the force of that command. She was a little scary... And based on Natsu's and Gray's reactions whenever she gave them a command, she was most likely even more terrifying than Lucy knew. She made a mental note to never make the scarlet-haired woman angry.

Natsu's face contorted into bemusement. "Okay?" He walked up to the door without hesitation and turned the knob. It opened smoothly, and he pushed it forward.

A huge, circular room opened up before them. The walls were all made up of mirrors, while the floor had a dizzying black and white spiral pattern. Brilliant crystal chandeliers reflected bright light around the room. Natsu took one look at it and gagged. He turned away from it and started to go back into the red room. Erza grabbed his collar.

"Not so fast."

"I'm gonna be sick!" He whined, and he indeed looked a pale shade of green. Lucy felt bad for him. She also didn't blame him for being a little sick at the sight. The room was starting to make her dizzy too, and she hadn't even set foot inside yet.

"Maybe we can find another way?" Lucy suggested.

"We're going this way." Erza's voice was firm. Lucy bit her lip and decided it best not to argue. Natsu shot her a pained look. She shrugged. What was she supposed to do? "Make haste." Erza commanded. Gray stepped into the room without hesitation but stopped and waited a few steps in, hand stuffed in his pockets. Erza turned and glared at Natsu and Lucy, like they were purposely trying to be difficult and hold up the group. Jellal clapped Natsu on the shoulder.

"Don't worry, friend." He said, giving Natsu an encouraging smile. "We'll just wait here in this _red room of pain_." Jellal smirked at some joke. Lucy frowned. Why did those words sound so familiar...?

"Really?" Natsu's face brightened.

"Nope."

Jellal grabbed him by the arm and dragged him into the next room, shoving him through the door.

"Luce! Save me!" He called back to her dramatically. Lucy sent him an apologetic look and followed behind them, Erza pulling up the rear.

The door slammed shut loudly behind them with enough force to shake the room. Wait, the door wasn't shaking the room.

"Whoa!" Lucy stumbled as the room began to spin. No, not the room, just the floor. The weird, spiral floor was spinning them!

"I'm gonna huuuuurl!" Natsu yelled. He fell to the floor and covered his face, which had turned a purple shade now. He gagged, looking utterly miserable.

"Natsu!" Lucy exclaimed. She tried to walk over to him, only to nearly fall herself.

"What is going on?" Erza called out. She stood with her legs wide, arms out to her sides like she was riding a surf board or something. Jellal stood perfectly still, and seemed to be the only one of them who wasn't affected by the spinning floor. Gray looked like he was about to fall over too, and Lucy stumbled over and over as the floor picked up speed, barely managing to stay upright.

"This is some sort of strange spell..." Jellal said, face thoughtful. "Interesting..."

"So NOT interesting!" Lucy exclaimed. "Make it stop!"

"I'm thinking..." He said calmly. "How to break this spell... Hm. I guess we could try-" The floor spun even faster, finally making Jellal stumble. The rest of them fell forward and nearly flew across the room from the speed the floor was now going. The mirrors were a blur now, and even Lucy was starting to feel sick from the constant motion.

"I'm gonna die!" Natsu cried, fingers clinging desperately to the floor.

"Hold on now." Jellal called out to them. He took up a stance and summoned up some magic energy. Lucy could feel it in the air around them, it wasn't much, but it still felt powerful. She wondered what he was planning to do with that. Purple flame appeared in his hand.

 _What?! He can wield fire too?!_

Jellal tightened his hand into a fist and plunged it into the floor where he stood. Lucy gaped.

"What the-" The floor stopped abruptly, sending everyone but Jellal flying into the wall of mirrors.

"Is it... Over?" Natsu asked dazedly.

"Ow," Lucy rubbed her throbbing head.

"Did that really just work?" Gray asked, pushing himself to his feet. Lucy tried to do the same and ended up falling back over. The floor had stopped spinning, but her head was still going in full circles. "Is this what it's like to be you, Pyro?" Gray asked, swaying on his feet.

"Worse..." Natsu groaned. Gray gave a shudder.

"Ugh, that's horrible..." Lucy hoped to never repeat this experience.

"Hey, where did Erza go?" Gray spoke up, turning in a circle where he stood and frowning. Lucy and Natsu looked too. They didn't see the red-haired mage anywhere.

"It seems that she disappeared when the floor stopped." Jellal said. His voice was calm, emotionless.

"WHAT?!" Gray, Lucy and Natsu all exclaimed simultaneously.

"Why are you not concerned about her?" Gray had a suspicious tone to his voice. Lucy was curious, too. She thought that Erza and Jellal had some kind of personal relationship, so why wasn't he worried about her? Lucy was starting to feel uncomfortable again. She didn't know any of these people. For all she knew Jellal could be working with the Raven Tail guild...

"I assure you that I am most concerned as well." Jellal said. "But, as we have no clue what happened to Erza, it is unlikely that worrying will do anything to aid us in finding her. We need to find a way out of this dreadful room and locate Titania at once."

Lucy took a look around the room. "Um... You guys, where did the door go?"

* * *

 **A/N: FYI, I have NO idea if Lucy can summon a spirit without her keys, but since this is an AU I can get away with it XD I have HEARD that she can, or has, but I haven't seen it for myself so it could just be a rumor floating around. Either way, I tried to make it as believable as possible!**

 **A/N 2: Props to those who caught the "red room of pain" reference. *wink* Now we know what kind of books Jellal is into *wink, wink***

 _ **Jellal says: "I resent that, xSteleAliniax! And you have no proof on that claim."**_

 **Alright, alright. Simmer down. My apologies! XD Haha, anyway, thanks again for reading! And thank you so much to everyone who comments/favorites/follows this story! I never thought this story would get the following it has now. Thank you for your continued support!**

* * *

 ** _magic yin yang_ : Aw thank you so much! I'm so glad you are liking it! **

**_Compucles_ : Haha, poor Lucy fighting in a short little dress. Whats new?! Well, it would be SMART for them to go back and regroup once they found the mansion, but this is Team Natsu we're talking about. They act first, think later. Besides, it's more fun this way *wink***

 ** _Dark Shining Light_ : My most humble apologies! *bows low* It was an oversight on my part. I very much appreciate all your support! Your comments mean a lot to me, truly! XD Thank you for continuing to read, even though I so horribly neglected your comment! Here's a shout out for you! **


	9. Lost and Found

**Fairy Tail High**

 **Chapter 9: Lost and Found**

 **By: xSteleAliniax**

"Um... You guys? Where did the door go?"

"Huh?" Gray turned and blinked at her in confusion. "What do you mean? The door is right-Shit."

"Hmm. First Erza and now the doors are missing..." Jellal mused, eyes narrowed in thought. _Did anything phase this man?!_ He didn't seem the least bit concerned about anything!

"Ah man! What do we do?!" Natsu exclaimed. He finally pushed himself to his feet, though he still looked rather green in the face. "We better get out of here before the floor starts moving again!" He gagged a little. He was right. They couldn't just stand around and wait in hopes that a door, or Erza, would magically appear in front of them. However, she supposed they did magically DISAPPEAR, so anything was possible.

"Try slamming one of the mirrors." Gray suggested sarcastically. "Your big head will probably create a door."

"You think?!" Natsu brightened at the idea, apparently not taking offense at the gibe. "Ah right! I'm fired up!"

"Uh, Natsu?" Lucy started to protest, but Natsu flew at full-speed toward one of the mirrors.

"Fire Dragon, Iron Fist!" He yelled loudly. A flame encased his fist, which he slammed into the glass, effectively shattering it to pieces. Lucy cringed, waiting for blood to start spurting from Natsu's hand. He pulled back, completely unscathed and grinned toothily at her. She narrowed her eyes. _Idiot_. His face fell.

"Good going, Flame Brain." Gray said with a snort.

"I have to admit, I wasn't sure that would be very successful." Jellal agreed. Lucy gaped at the huge hole in the wall where the mirror had been. She didn't know if there was an actual door anywhere in that room, but she supposed this would do. She was surprised that Natsu hadn't broken his hand smashing through that mirror, though. And, apparently, the wall behind it as well.

"Now what?" Lucy asked. No one was moving. They all just stared at the dark space beyond Natsu's makeshift door. Lucy really hoped there wasn't some ridiculous trap in that room, too.

"I guess we go look for Erza." Gray suggested with a shrug, not sounding particularly concerned about the matter. "Unless anyone has any better ideas?" He turned and glanced around at the remaining team members. No one spoke up. Gray shrugged again. "Well, let's get going then."

He stepped through the hole and then presumably waited for them on the other side.

"See you on the other side," Jellal chuckled before stepping through the hole behind Gray. Lucy but her lip in hesitation. Natsu came to stand by her, grabbing her hand in his and giving her a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry," he spoke in a low voice. "I won't let you disappear." She felt a smile growing on her lips. He really was sweet. She squeezed his hand.

"Thanks, Natsu." She said, and together they stepped through the dark hole.

And began to fall.

Lucy screamed as she felt the floor drop out from underneath her. She clutched onto Natsu's hand for dear life. It was pitch black, and she couldn't see a thing, so she couldn't even guess where the ground was. She braced herself for impact.

"Hold on, Luce!" Natsu grabbed her by the waist and held her tight against his body. She wrapped her arms and legs around him, too terrified to realize what she was doing. She felt Natsu's body go stiff for a moment, as if bracing for something, and then the pair slammed hard into the ground. Natsu's back hit the ground and they slid across it before slamming into a wall. Lucy coughed as dust wafted into her nose.

"Are you okay?" She asked through wild coughing.

"Of course!" He scoffed. He sat up. "Are YOU okay, Lucy?" It was still dark, so she couldn't see what he was doing, but she felt it when his hand suddenly brushed against the side of her head. She winced in pain. "You've got a pretty bad bump here."

"How can you see that?" She asked. She couldn't see a thing!

"I have dragon slayer senses, duh." He said, and she could almost picture him rolling his eyes. _Right. He was a dragon slayer. He was part dragon. Of course he could see in the dark. What was she thinking?_ Her thoughts were sarcastic as she inwardly rolled her eyes. "Seriously, Lucy, are you hurt anywhere else?" He moved his hands down her arms, which made a chill run through her. "Did I hurt you?" He whispered.

"No." She whispered back. "I'm fine, Natsu. Let's go find the others."

"Oh, right. Ice Princess and the Blue-Haired-Wonder." He replied unenthusiastically.

"And Erza," Lucy added.

"That monster?! She can take care of herself. Come on." He stood up and then helped Lucy to her feet. A ball of fire appeared in his hand again, shining light around the room for Lucy to see.

"What the-" She began.

"Hell?!" Natsu finished, gaping at the room they were now in. "Did we fall into Barbie's Dream House?" Lucy didn't even bother to ask how he could possibly know what that was. He was right, though. The room was large, probably close to the size of Lucy's old room back at the Heartfilia mansion. It was also decorated completely in pink and frills everywhere. The walls were painted a pale baby pink color, with darker pink ballerina silhouettes painted here and there. The carpet was a hot pink shade, with a lighter pink rug in the center of the large open space. A huge bed sat in the center of the room with a dozen pink blankets piled on top, as well as a canopy that was, you guessed it, PINK.

"I'm gonna be sick." Natsu whined, gagging. Lucy nodded in agreement and wrinkled her nose at how distasteful the room was. There wasn't much in the way of personal possessions in the room, making Lucy wonder if anyone actually lived in here, or if it was some kind of messed up show room. "So... Much... Pink." He covered his eyes with one hand, while keeping the flame lit with the other.

"You know your hair is pink, right?" She said, just in case he hadn't noticed. He turned a baffled look her way, like he couldn't believe she had just said that.

"My hair is not PINK." He said, sounding disgusted at the thought. "It's _salmon_." Lucy laughed but tried to hide it with a cough. Natsu wasn't fooled. He scowled and pouted. "Women are all so cruel."

"I'm sorry," Lucy said through giggles. "I'm not trying to be cruel. Let's get out of here. This room is giving me the creeps anyway." She hoped that would make him feel better, but he just grunted in acknowledgement and started for a door.

Only to be stopped in his tracks by one of the ballerina silhouettes.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" He exclaimed. One of the pink silhouettes jumped off the wall and blocked his path. It was flat as the wall it had come off of, but it was still strong. Its head shot forward and smacked into Natsu's forehead, making him stumble but not fall.

"Natsu!" Lucy cried out as the pinkette fell back a step, looking dazed.

"Ouch," his flame went out, plunging them into darkness. Something brushed against Lucy's leg, making her shriek and jump into the air. Arms went around her at once, catching her before her feet could make contact with the ground again. She screamed again.

"Do not be alarmed, beautiful." A familiar voice said. "I'll protect you."

"Loke!" She cried in joyous relief. "How did you get here?!"

"I felt your panic and knew I must come to your rescue." He said, gallant as ever. Lucy rolled her eyes, but she was grateful.

"Something touched me!" She gestured wildly at the ground. She still couldn't see anything. "And what happened to Natsu?!"

"Who?" Loke asked in confusion.

"The boy I'm with! Natsu!" She waited, but no reply came. "Oh, Mavis, now he's gone too?!" Lucy felt an overwhelming sense of panic start to fill her body. First Erza, then Gray and Jellal, and now Natsu? It was only a matter of time before she disappeared, too. And where were they all going? Were they even still alive?

"I'm scared!" She sobbed into Loke's chest, feeling childish but not being able to stop herself. He held her effortlessly, like she weighed nothing.

"You don't have to be scared now, Lucy." The lion spirit said confidently. "There's no one else in this room apart from you and me. I won't let anything happen to you."

"But-someone took Natsu! A ballerina-a shadow-a thing-the wall!" She wasn't making any sense, but then, nothing that had happened that night made any sense. Her friends were all missing, this house was a freaking spell trap. What was she supposed to do?! Sure, Loke could come through his gate on his own, he was one of the most powerful celestial spirits there were, but none of her other spirits had that ability. At least, none that she knew of. She was at a complete disadvantage without her keys. "I feel so helpless." She whined.

"You're not helpless, Lucy." Loke countered. "You're the strongest celestial mage I've ever met. And you know I've had my fair share of run-ins with your lot. You'll be fine, Lucy. And I'm here. Nothing can possibly go wrong!"

"Every time someone says that, something goes wrong!" Lucy grumbled. Loke chuckled and set her on her feet.

"Let's go find your boyfriend, shall we?"

"Wh-Don't get funny! He's not my boyfriend!" She exclaimed, feeling her cheeks heat.

"Okay," Loke said, but his voice held amusement. "There's the door. Come on, Lucy." He pulled her by her wrist across the room, and Lucy heard the familiar sound of a doorknob turning, and then the squeak of hinges. A cold breeze blew in to meet them, making Lucy shiver and wrap her free arm around herself.

"C-c-cold." She shivered. "S-s-so c-c-c-cold!"

"Wow! Where did all this snow come from?" Loke wondered. _Snow?_ Lucy blinked a few times, and then a wintery scene appeared before her eyes. _What the hell?!_ Were they on some sort of mountain now? Lucy looked around them in panic. How the hell had they gotten here?!

"Shit. Don't move, Lucy! It's some kind of teleportation spell!" Loke had to shout over the thunderous wind, and Lucy barely heard what he said. She stayed where she was, though she didn't really have a choice with the freezing blizzard turning her body into a popsicle. Loke cursed again and then grabbed Lucy by the arm, giving her a hard tug. The two fell backward into the ballerina room.

Lucy shivered violently, even as Loke closed the door, and the blizzard disappeared. Her body felt numb with cold, especially her bare feet, which had been buried in snow only moments ago. She must have lost her sandals in the snow. _Great. As if her outfit hadn't already been impractical enough._

"Wh-wh-what w-w-was t-t-that?" Her voice shook due to her shaking body and chattering teeth. Loke hurried over to her with a blanket he'd pulled off the fluffy bed and wrapped her up in it.

"Geez, Lucy. You're turning blue!" He rubbed his hands along her arms in a quick manner to get the blood flowing back in them. It helped a little.

"W-what was t-that, Loke?" She asked again, voice a tiny bit steadier. The lion spirit sighed.

"I'm not entirely sure, to be honest. But I believe it was a type of teleportation magic."

"Yeah, you said that. But what does that even mean?"

Loke thought for a moment on how best to describe it. "I've only seen it used once myself, and I've only heard a couple of stories. But, basically it allows the caster to instantly teleport someone from one place to another. In a matter of seconds. And, usually, it is a one-way street. Once you've been teleported somewhere, that's it. There's no coming back. The door is therefore gone." Lucy shivered again, but this time it wasn't from cold. "We got extremely lucky that the door was still open. Whoever cast the spell on this door is probably a newbie. Or just stupid."

"D-do you think that's what happened to my friends?" She asked. Loke nodded.

"No question."

"Crap!" Lucy felt tears in her eyes. She would never find them now! They could be anywhere in the world. Hell, they could be on MARS for all she knew. "Wait, how far can a spell teleport someone?" Lucy asked.

"It does have a certain... Radius, I guess you could say." Loke answered. "Though, I can't say exactly how far it stretches. It can be a hundred miles or a hundred feet, I suppose." He shrugged.

"A hundred feet, huh?" Lucy thought about that. Maybe her friends weren't lost after all. Maybe they had just been moved to another room in this Fun House? "Loke, is there any way to track a teleportation spell?" A sly smile crossed his features.

"You still looking for your boyfriend?" He asked with a suggestive wink. Lucy kicked him.

"Shut up! I'm looking for all my friends. Can you do it or not?"

"I suppose it's possible..." He trailed off. Lucy waited for him to continue. He glanced over at her expectant look. "Oh, I don't know how." She seethed and resisted the urge to kick him again.

"Then I guess we'll have to look the old-fashioned way." She stood to her feet and threw the blanket off of her shoulders. "But we still have to be wary. The Raven Tail guild is still around here somewhere, and I'd rather not face them alone. I guess that only leaves us with one option..." She turned to him and raised a challenging eyebrow "You up for a game of Hide and Seek, Loke?" He grinned deviously in return.

"Game on."

* * *

 ** _Dark Shining Light:_ Couldn't just leave Lucy defenseless, like her "friends" who didn't even notice she was wearing a dress and sandals haha. They couldn't even take her home for some clothes. How inconsiderate... XD And thank you! You are very sweet to review each chapter! It makes me incredibly happy!**

 ** _An Amber Pen_ : Hahaha, well it made for an...INTERESTING room. It gave lots of room for description. Well... Erza's plan was to apprehend Raven Tail herself, and THEN turn them in to the Magic Council, because those guys almost never go by the rules. The smart thing would have been to tip the Council off about their hideout and then leave them alone, but... They aren't always so smart. *shrug* It's more fun this way anyhow XD **

**_Moon Stone Tiger Lily_ : (Chapter 2), yes, she is a spirit! But she is also a spirit who is constantly helping Lucy change into new outfits, and doing her hair, and weird random things like that XD (Chapter 8), It's definitely heating up! And thanks!**

 ** _Celestic1234_ : You are the first person to notice Mira was gone haha. Good job XD And thank you! Here's an update! XD**


	10. Hide and Seek

**Fairy Tail High**

 **Chapter 10: Hide and Seek**

 **By: xSteleAliniax**

It was a long and very unsuccessful game. The pair searched through countless doors, most of which teleported them to some random, far off place. Sometimes a door would open right back up into the very room they were already in, and for a brief moment the two stared back at themselves. It was an odd feeling, seeing oneself, as if through a backwards mirror.

"So, we suck at the whole 'seek' part of _Hide and Seek._ " Loke commented. Lucy sat on a heart shaped love seat in a room that looked like some honeymoon suite. Hearts and red everywhere. A heart shaped bed with heart shaped pillows placed neatly on its silky red duvet. Red walls with pink hearts. A fireplace with no wood or fire tools. A small spa tub in the shape of a heart. And a heart shaped rug in the center, upon which the love seat sat with more heart pillows.

Lucy sat with her head in her hands, breathing ragged. She was tired from wandering around this huge castle for God-only-knew how long, and her emotional energy was also starting to reach its peak. Tears threatened, making her eyes sting from the effort to hold them back.

Loke rested against the back side of the sofa, having no need, or desire, to sit down. He simply stood thoughtfully, puzzling over everything in his mind and trying to come up with a solution. So far, he hadn't come up with anything helpful.

"This isn't fair!" Lucy wailed. "Why is it so difficult to find four people?!" She was frustrated. She didn't understand how she could spend so much some searching and still not find a single person. "We haven't even run into any of the Raven Tail guild." Loke snorted.

"Did you _want_ to run into those monsters?"

Lucy sighed. "Well, no. But still. Don't you think it's a little suspicious that not one of them has shown themselves in all the time that we've been here? We have to have been here for at least two hours already! And we haven't exactly been quiet." Lucy's bare toes curled into the plush red rug at her feet. It was a habit of hers whenever she was stressed out or anxious.

"Has it been that long?" Loke mused, unconcerned. Lucy growled. "I'm sorry, Princess. Your stunning beauty has distracted me from this most unfortunate situation."

"Oh, put a sock in it, Loke!" She snapped, then sighed. "I guess we should get back to our search. Before someone finds US first."

"Yes, that would be most inconvenient." Loke agreed. He stood up straight and stretched his arms over his head like a cat. Lucy stood as well, smoothing out the fabric of her dress, which was looking a little worse for wear after traipsing around in it for hours. Not that she was bitter about it. OR the fact that she no longer had shoes. Where was Virgo with a new outfit when you needed her?

"Let's move on." She said. Loke nodded and followed silently behind her. The duo walked to the only door in the heart room they hadn't already tried-the first door they tried had led them back to the room with the spinning floor (and Lucy was certainly in no rush to repeat that particular experience), the second door they tried brought them to a freaking JUNGLE and they just barely avoided getting eaten by a huge cougar, and then there was the door they'd come in from, which had mysteriously disappeared. That left one more.

Lucy held out a hand on the knob, hesitating.

"Do you wish for me to go in first?" Loke offered, ever her gallant lion. She shook her head.

"No. I have to be brave. I can't be afraid of this stupid house, or of Raven Tail."

"As you wish, Princess."

Lucy took a deep breath and then twisted the knob, pushing through the door and nearly stumbling through to the other side. The door slammed closed behind her. She winced at the noise.

"Miss Diamond, you are very late to my class."

Lucy spun around so fast her back cracked painfully. She winced again. Her eyes went wide as she stared around the brightly lit room of her Biology class. Mr. Col's dark eyes glared over at her from where he stood at the white board, pen in hand. He looked smart as ever, in a tailored charcoal gray suit with a navy tie and black shoes. She didn't remember ever seeing him in this particular suit, so this couldn't be a memory, could it?

" _Eh?!_ " She gave a start of surprise. How had she gotten HERE?! Wasn't she still at the Raven Tail mansion? Was this more teleportation magic? And if so, why the hell would she end up back at school?!

She flipped around in a full circle. Where had Loke gone?

"If you're not going to take a seat, Miss Diamond, I'll have no choice but to send you to the office." Mr. Col snapped. Lucy opened her mouth to respond, but then a familiar voice spoke up from the back of the room.

"Luce! Where ya been?!"

She turned and saw the pinkette grinning over at her. She gaped. _Huh?!_

"Natsu?!" She exclaimed, ignoring the seething glare Mr. Col was giving her. "When did you get here?!"

"Uh, thirty-six minutes ago. When class stared." He frowned over at her, now looking concerned. "I waited for you by your locker, but you never showed."

"As much as I _adore_ listening to this _lover's quarrel_ ," Mr. Col interrupted, voice dripping with sarcasm. "This is a classroom, Mr. Dragneel. If you have things you wish to discuss, do it on your own time." He sent Lucy another glare and then pointed to the back of the class. "Have a seat, young lady." Lucy gulped, but headed to her seat. She sat down next to Natsu, who sent her another worried look.

"What's with you all of a sudden?" He whispered when their teacher had their back to them.

"Me?!" She hissed back. "What's with _you_? And how did we get here? What door did you go through?" She glanced around the room, thinking Natsu had to have come in through a different door than she did, but she only saw the one.

"What are you talking about? I came through the same door as always." He gave a shake of his head, then turned his attention back to the front of the room. "Geez, you're weird today."

She blinked several times, trying to figure out what the hell was going on! Okay, so she was just at the Raven Tail mansion, right? She was in the heart room with Loke, went through a door, and ended up back at Fairy Tail High... But, how? And what's more, _Natsu_ was here too! But he seemed to have no memory of being at Raven Tail's base. Either she was going crazy, or something weird was going on.

She glanced over at the door she'd just come through. She could just make out the neat row of grayish-blue lockers that lined the walls of the school through the small, square window. She found that to be the most confusing part. All the other times she had gone through one of the spelled doors, there hadn't been a door on the other side to get back through. And when there HAD been a door, such as the times she and Loke had wound up back in the very room they were just in, all you could make out from inside was a dark hole. Plus, she'd never encountered _people_ from the spelled doors before.

"Miss Diamond, I asked you a question." Mr. Col's voice snapped her back to attention.

"Uh... I'm sorry?" She squeaked out. "Huh?!" When she glanced back up, she noticed that the classroom was now empty, apart from her and Mr. Col. She glanced beside her to where Natsu had just been, but even he was now gone. "Wh-Where did everyone go?" She stammered, feeling a chill run down her spine. Mr. Col smiled, but the expression was most definitely not friendly.

"Oh, everyone has left, I'm afraid." His voice changed, going lower and turning more menacing. She sunk into her chair, terror making her body feel numb. "It's just you and me, _Lucy Heartfilia_."

"H-How do you know my name?" She managed to get out. Mr. Col still stood by the white board, but instead of a marker in his hand, he held a purplish card. _What the-?_

"We've been looking for you, Lucy," he went on like she hadn't spoken. He flipped the card into the air before him and it split into a second card. They fell back into his hand. He peered at them casually, then looked back up at her with an evil smirk. "It was really quite foolish on your father's part to send you to Fairy Tail High, of all the schools in Fiore." He laughed a bitter laugh, making Lucy cringe. She reached for her keys at her hip, only to realize that she didn't have them. _Crap!_ Well, she couldn't just sit there acting helpless.

She slid out of her seat, legs slightly shaking from fear. Mr. Col, or whoever he was, didn't seem even remotely phased that she had gotten up. He obviously did not see her as much of a threat, a realization that made anger burn through her. She would show this jerk what she was made of. She balled her hands into fists and took up a fighting stance. He smirked at her and let out a low chuckle.

"Ooh, a little girl is going to try and defeat me, the master of Raven Tail? How intriguing."

"Huh?!" _Master_? She paled. The Mr. Col look alike laughed loudly now.

"Do you like my illusion, little girl?" He spread his arms out wide for emphasis. _Illusion?_ So... This room wasn't apart of some spell-trap? She guessed that made sense, seeing as Natsu had been there. Lucy swallowed hard and resisted the urge to bolt. She stayed firm, holding her battle stance.

"Where are my friends?" She demanded. He raised an eyebrow.

"Friends? You mean all those pitiful wizards?" He scratched his chin thoughtfully. "I don't know... Where did I last see them...?"

"Give them back, or else!" Luce pointed a stern finger at him. He looked at her for a moment, and then burst out laughing.

"Simmer down, little girl. I do not wish to engage with you." He slid the cards between his fingers. "At least, not yet. I still have plans for you, Celestial Wizard. However, that doesn't mean my minions can't have their fun." He grinned widely. "Be gone!" He threw the cards at her. She shrieked and covered her face with her arms. Something slammed into her, hard, and then came the sensation of flying, or perhaps more accurate would be to say, falling.

She landed hard on her hands and knees, wincing as pain shot through her. The room she was now in was dark as pitch, giving no indication of its appearance.

"Crap," she whispered, tears pooling in her brown eyes now. She was such a failure! She wasn't having any luck in finding her friends. She'd been searching for what felt like hours already with no luck! There was just no way to find them in this huge house! Especially when every other door she tried led her to some place that was nowhere near this house or even Magnolia. And now she had lost Loke, too! If her friends were having similar trouble, then it was unlikely she would be able to find them. They could be stuck in this house forever.

"No!" She wailed, slamming a fist into a hard-tiled floor. She sobbed there, unable to hold back her frustrations any longer. This was an impossible task! She was completely alone now. Alone in this twisted wizard home. What was she supposed to do? She would never get out of here at this rate!

"Loke!" She cried, trying to pull open his gate. "Virgo! Gemini! _Somebody_!" Violent sobs wracked her body. It was no use. She had no magic energy left, and without their keys it was next to impossible anyway. Her friends were missing, her spirits couldn't pass through their gates to help her. She was alone.

"Uh, oh. Poor itty bitty wizard." A voice cackled from somewhere in the room. Lucy sat up straighter, peering around the impossibly dark room. Not that alone...

"Who said that?!" She yelled out, slowly backing toward the wall.

"No, no, wittle wizard." A hand clamped down on her shoulder, holding her in place. "I'm not done with you yet. I still want to play!" A high-pitched laugh. Lucy winced.

"What do you want?!" She wailed, tears still dripping from her eyes. Her luck was not with her this evening. First Flare, then this whole damn house, and now this crazy chick! Was she a part of Raven Tail, too? Maybe she was one of the minions the Raven Tail master had spoken of... "Let me go!" She pulled against the hand that held her shoulder but it didn't so much as budge. She kept a firm grip on Lucy.

"I don't think so, little girly." She hissed in Lucy's ear. Lucy growled. She wished everyone would stop calling her that! "I know! How about we play some catch! I'll throw you across the room, and you try to catch yourself before you slam into any sharp objects!" The woman laughed menacingly. Lucy froze.

"N-No, stop! Please!" Lucy begged. She was completely defenseless without her spirits! She couldn't fight this woman without them!

"Ready?" The woman picked Lucy up by the arm with one hand. "Catch!" She threw Lucy hard and she flew across the room impossibly fast, slamming hard into the opposite wall before falling to the floor. Her arm hit something sharp, like a knife. She cried out in pain. _What was that?_

"Ahahaha!" The woman cackled loudly. "That was great! Let's have another go!" In a flash, Lucy felt the woman beside her, pulling her up roughly by her arm, the injured one. Lucy cried out again. "You want to know what I do for fun?" She squeezed Lucy's hurt arm roughly. "I like to make art out of boards and nails. Let's see if I can make you stick to one of them! I have a whole wall over there covered in my beautiful art work!"

"What?!" _Nails?!_ This would not be good. Lucy struggled against the woman's hold, terrified. "Stop! NATSU! Someone! _HELP ME!_ " She screamed at the top of her lungs. The woman only laughed.

"No one is going to hear you, wittle girly. It's just you and me in here! And soon, you'll be a more permanent feature in this room." She lifted Lucy up, despite her struggles, and gave her another hard throw across the room. Lucy screamed loudly and braced for impact. She was going to die here. She would never help her friends now. Never see Levy again, or Mira, or-

"LUCY!" Natsu's voice cut into her thoughts. His strong arms caught her as she flew toward the wall of nails, just in time. "Lucy! Are you okay?!" He set her on her feet but kept his hands on her arms.

"I t-think so." She whispered pitifully, body shaking.

"Don't worry, Luce. I'm here now." He cracked his knuckles and peered over at the other woman.

"Hmph," the woman grumbled from across the room. "This just got terribly unfair. Two against one?"

"You hurt Lucy." Natsu's voice was a low growl. "You're gonna pay for that."

"Don't be so possessive, little dragon." The woman sneered. "You can have the blonde bimbo. I'm bored now. She doesn't even put up a fight!" A whooshing wind blew past them, blowing Lucy's hair back.

"HEY!" Natsu groaned in frustration.

"What happened?" Lucy asked. She was really tired of being in the dark!

"She's gone." He sighed heavily. "Wait," he sniffed the air. "Luce, are you bleeding?!"

"Huh?" Was she? Oh, right, she'd fallen on something. "Oh, it's just a scratch, I think."

"Hold on," he stepped away from her and she could hear his footsteps walking across the room. Suddenly a bright burst of light filled the room.

"Ah," Lucy squinched her eyes shut and covered them with her hands. "Too bright."

"Sorry," he came back over to her and pulled gently on her left arm. "Let me see." She let her arms fall loose. She blinked at the sudden brightness until her eyes were finally able to adjust. Natsu had narrowed eyes as he looked at her wound. "It's not deep. I think you'll be okay. But still," He let the arm go and then pulled his t-shirt off and ripped a strip off. She gaped at his exposed chest, feeling her cheeks heat. He had a finely chiseled chest with taut muscles. _Not that she was staring_... He wrapped the strip of fabric around her injury and tied it into a knot.

"I've always wanted to do that," he said with a grin. She stared at him in disbelief for half a second before a laugh sputtered out.

"You're so weird. But thanks. You saved me."

"Anytime, Luce!" Those full lips pulled up into a smile. For a moment, she just stared at them, wondering what it would be like to feel them with her own. She flushed and looked away.

"Uh, so how did you find me?" She asked. _Idiot! You can't be thinking about kissing at a time_ _like this! What is wrong with you?!_

"I heard you calling to me so I ran as fast as I could." He said, voice thoughtful. "I don't even really know _where_ I came from exactly. But I knew that it was your voice. So, I raced straight forward until I found you!" She turned and saw another huge grin on his face.

"Well, that was good luck then." She said. "Have you found anyone else yet?" He slumped.

"No. I keep getting lost! This house is such a maze."

"Have you been inside the house this whole time?" She asked. By the way he was talking, it didn't sound like he had come across any of the spelled doors. Which she thought was strange since nearly every door _she_ opened was spelled.

"Yeah, I just keep going in circles!" Natsu complained, scratching his head. "I open one door and end up exactly where I just was five minutes before! It's such a pain!"

"I was just in Mr. Col's classroom." Lucy said, pointing at the door she'd come through.

"What?!" Natsu gaped at her. "What do you mean you were in Mr. Col's class?!"

"Yeah, but I don't think it was really Mr. Col. He said he was Raven Tail's master." Lucy shuddered a bit at the thought. She decided not to mention that he himself had also been in that room, or that it had apparently been some strange illusion. "He used some strange magic to send me into this room. He could have killed me, but he didn't, and I don't know why!"

"Wait," Natsu interjected before she could continue. "You just went up against the master of Raven Tail _by yourself?_ " He gaped at her.

"Well, yeah, technically, but he didn't try to fight me. He just threw me into this room."

"With a crazy woman who threw you around like a rag doll." Natsu deadpanned. _Right_... "Lucy, where did you come in from exactly?"

"Huh?" She glanced around the room, then pointed in the general direction she thought she fell from. "Somewhere over there, I think. It was really dark in here, though."

"Through that door?" Natsu pointed.

"I didn't just walk in here, Natsu." Lucy said, trying not to snap at him. "I told you I was sort of dropped in here by some spell."

Natsu ignored her and walked over to the door near the spot she had indicated, and pulled on the door handle, grimacing at the effort.

"It's-stuck!" He heaved, but the door wouldn't open.

Lucy stood and walked over to where Natsu still pulled on the door handle.

"It's probably one of those spelled doors." Lucy mused. "Supposedly they only open once."

"What do you mean?" Natsu stopped pulling at the door and looked over at her, cocking his head to the side in confusion. "What spell?"

"Loke told me-"

"Who's Loke?"

"One of my spirits!" She exclaimed. "Anyway, he told me that a lot of the doors here are spelled with transportation magic. I've been to some snowy mountain, a jungle, and just now I ended up in Mr. Col's classroom. A few other weird places, too."

Natsu's expression was pained when she looked back at him. "What?"

" _Transportation magic?_ " His voice wavered. His face turned green. "That's... My worst... Nightmare..." Lucy rolled her eyes.

"It's not like that. It's more... Ah, teleportation magic, that's what Loke said."

"That's the same thing!" He groaned. "Either way your being transported somewhere!" Lucy laughed.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Well, let's try not to get stuck in any more of those spells then, shall we?"

"Sounds good to me!" Natsu lifted his hand for a high five. Lucy rolled her chocolate brown eyes but slapped her hand to his anyway.

"Well, there's two of us now." Lucy said. "Maybe we'll have some better luck?"

"Yeah!" Natsu agreed with a crooked grin. "I'm fired up, Luce!"

* * *

 **A/N: First off, I just wanted to say how much I appreciate you guys for supporting this story. 90 followers? 63 favorites?! I am so incredibly grateful and happy! You guys are amazing! And ever so patient. This is my first attempt at a chapter fic, since all I have done previously has been one-shots, and I've been so surprised (in a good way!) at how well this has done. I wouldn't have ever come this far without your guys' unwavering support. So thank you so much! I hope you know how much I appreciate all of you! Fresh baked cookies for everyone!**

 **A/N 2: Oh, and a special thank you to _yellowchickadee_ for always giving me play-by-play commentary on every single chapter and one-shot I publish, no matter what. Your support does not go unnoticed. Hearts for you!**

 **A/N 3: ALSOOO, a thank you to _ObeliskX_ for suggesting i write a Fairy Tail high school AU, in the first place. I wouldn't have even thought of this without your suggestion, so thank you!**

* * *

 ** _Celestic1234_ : It is a very peculiar house, isn't it? XD Your excitement over this story makes me very happy!**

 ** _Moon Stone Tiger Lily_ : Um, badass enough? XD She will definitely get her moment in the spotlight, as I am a HUGE fan of "Badass Lucy." We all know Lucy is no damsel, she just has to realize that herself! So you don't have keys, you're still awesome, Lucy!**

 ** _Guest_ : Thank you for the compliment! I suppose Natsu is a bit OOC... I am trying to balance out his denseness and his sexiness, haha. And don't worry, they will definitey be spending some more time at the school! XD**

 ** _xXPokeFictionXx_ : That would be something she would do XD Lucy needs some clothes, I think. Not that it's abnormal for her to fight in short skirts, haha.**


	11. Doorways to Nowhere

**A/N: Gah, nobody throw tomatoes at me for neglecting to post last Friday! I am deeply sorry! Can I use the excuse that it was a holiday weekend in order to not earn your wrath? XD Anyway, I'm sorry! But chapter 11 is here at last! Hopefully it was worth the extra-long wait! You guys have been extra amazing with reviews lately, and I thank you deeply for that! All of your kind words are all truly appreciated, and I promise I read each and every one! So keep 'em coming, ya'll! XD**

 **A/N 2: Also, FTH cracked 100 followers after chapter 10. HOLY. HECK. Seriously, you guys, you are awesome! Thank you so much for the support! Oh, and this chapter isn't nearly as long as it looks from the word count. I got like an entire page of responses to your guys' reviews haha, so it just looks long XD Anyway, you've waited long enough for this chapter. Have at it!**

* * *

 **Fairy Tail High**

 **Chapter 11: Doorways to Nowhere**

 **By: xSteleAliniax**

"Let's start there," Natsu pointed to a door off to the right of them. It was narrower than the other two doors in the room, which instantly made Lucy suspicious.

"Um, let's backtrack instead." She suggested. "How about we go back the way you came in? That looks like the safest option."

Plus, she had no desire to be stuck in another teleportation spell.

He nodded and started in the direction of the door. Lucy followed close behind.

The duo pushed through the door and into a narrow hallway with several doors on either side. Lucy stopped and stared for a moment. Natsu must have heard her pause, because he stopped walking as well and glanced over his shoulder at her.

"How did you know which room I was in?" She asked, eyes darting between the ten or so doors that she could see. The hallway looked endless, though, and a large mirror at the end reflected the scene back at them, making the whole space look even bigger than it probably was.

Natsu frowned at her. "I told you, I could hear you. I followed your voice."

 _Odd_ … She thought.

"Which door did you come from?" She gestured around them. His frown deepened and he turned to look at the rows of doors.

"I'm… Not exactly sure."

Lucy facepalmed. Of course he didn't.

"Well, I guess we'll just have to search through them all until we find one that leads us somewhere else." He said with a shrug. She sighed. This was exactly what she had wanted to avoid in the other room. She supposed she couldn't avoid doors forever, though. Sooner or later she would have to open one.

"Alright," she agreed. There was a door just to her right, which was where she headed first. "but stay close, if one of these doors is spelled, we could get separated again."

"Aye, sir!" He saluted her and then came to stand beside her. She put a hand on the knob and slowly turned it, then pushed it forward, bracing herself for some spell. Nothing happened, and she breathed an audible sigh of relief, pushing the door open more and walking inside. She immediately froze in shock.

"What the-" Lucy gaped in disbelief. "Either I'm going crazy, or I'm dreaming right now. I can't decide which one would make more sense…"

They stood inside a room that looked _exactly_ like her bedroom back home. Not the room she now had at Mira's, but _her_ room, back at the Heartfilia estate, the one she had grown up in.

"Someone's bedroom?" Natsu asked, then added dryly. "At least it's not pink."

Lucy didn't say anything. Instead, she walked farther into the already brightly lit room. Her king-sized bed sat against the center wall, with a lavender and gray fluffy duvet pulled neatly against the pillows, and the quilt that her mother had made for her folded at the bottom where she always kept it. Her dresser was white and sat adjacent to the bed, with a flat screen TV perched on the wall above it. Some figurines were placed neatly on the smooth wooden surface, and an antique jewelry box sat on the corner nearest her closet.

"No way…" She whispered, walking over to the expansive walk-in closet and pulling the door inward. Dozens upon dozens of dresses, shirts, skirts, and the like spread out before her. She walked inside, feeling the familiar fabrics between her fingers.

 _They even SMELL the same_ , she noted with some unease.

"Uh, Luce?" Natsu's voice was hesitant from the other side of the closet door. "Is this really the time to be looking for clothes?"

A thought dawned on her then.

"Actually, this is the perfect time."

She shut the door in his stunned face and hurried over to another set of drawers that held jeans, shorts, and other more casual clothing. She pulled out a pair of jean shorts and slipped them on under her dress. She walked over to where various shirts hung, and pulled one out at random – An ivory cotton top with a lacy overlay and a ribbon in the back – and slipped into it as quickly as possible, glancing around to make sure Natsu hadn't barged in, then abandoned the blue dress to the floor. She found a pair of cream colored converse and slipped them on her feet over a pair of white ankle socks.

When she was done, she pulled open the closet door to reveal a still-stunned Natsu. He gaped at her.

"Did you just steal those?" He gestured at her outfit.

"Nope." She offered no further comment, and instead walked past him into the room she had once spent so much time in. She didn't understand how this weird house knew so much about her life, down to the small nick in the wood on her bedpost. Everything was exactly as she'd left it…

" _I'm not done with you yet, Celestial Wizard._ " The words of a Raven.

She frowned, now pacing the large space, and ignoring the baffled look Natsu was wearing. What did he mean by that? And why was this house so connected to her?

"Natsu," she turned to face him. "How long were you searching for me before you found me in that room?"

He scrunched up his face to think. The effort looked painful, and Lucy would have laughed if she could find any humor at all in this confusing situation.

"Hell, I don't know, Luce…" He said, still thinking. "It felt like forever, but it was probably only ten or fifteen minutes. I wasn't counting." He shrugged. "Why?"

 _Ten or fifteen minutes_ … That was all the time that had passed since they had been separated. And yet, Lucy had been wandering around with Loke for at least two hours in that time.

Her frown deepened. Something was definitely weird here. Time that did not seem to flow together. Doorways to nowhere, yet everywhere, too. The places she'd encountered that seemed so connected to HER personally.

The master of Raven Tail.

She gave a light shudder before meeting Natsu's gaze.

"Natsu, do notice anything strange about this room?" She gestured around them, watching as his expression turned confused again. He looked around for a moment, and then his eyes landed on something behind her.

"There's a bunny over there!" He pointed, eyes going wide. She blinked at him, then turned to see the stuffed bunny she kept on a shelf near her bed. "What weirdo has a bunny in their room?!" He cackled. She scowled.

"I wasn't talking about Mr. Furry!" She exclaimed in annoyance.

"Who?"

Her cheeks reddened. "No one! Look," she pointed at a window across from them. Bright sunlight filtered in through the white lace curtains.

"That is a terrible place to put a window," Natsu remarked, shaking his head as if in pity.

Lucy facepalmed.

"Natsu! It's _daylight_." She gestured at the window again with more emphasis. His gaze shifted back to the window, then back to her.

"Yeah…" He still sounded confused. Lucy growled in frustration.

 _Idiot!_

"Natsu, when we got here it was the middle of the night, right?"

"Yeah... Oh! The sun came up already?!" His eyes went wide again as he ran over to the window, nearly slamming into the glass in his haste.

"Ugh, no! That's not the point!" Lucy stomped up to him, now thoroughly irritated. He was one of the "popular" kids at school, he was a genius in Biology, he could go on and on about dragons, relating every piece of fact about them, so why was he acting like such a _moron?!_ "Natsu, this window wasn't here a moment ago."

"What do you mean, Luce?" He scratched his head again. "Wait, where's the door?!" His eyes went wide as he gaped at the space where the door had been, but was now replaced with the window.

"Exactly! It's one of those spelled doors I was telling you about!" She all but shouted at him.

 _Geez, slow much?_

"What do we do?!"

"Well, we can't go back through now, since the door disappeared…" She thought for a moment, surveying the room that was once hers. "I guess we just go out that door." She gestured lamely at the only door in the room, the one that (if this had been her actual bedroom) would lead out into the hallway. Although, this door would most likely only lead to some other horrible place. She kind of hoped this castle decided to pick on Natsu's memories next and leave hers alone. She was tired of walking into her memories.

"I'll go first," he decided, walking forward without hesitation. She shrugged and let him go, but snatched his hand as he walked past her to keep him close. She wasn't going to have him being sucked into another part of the country without her. Or even another part of the house, for that matter.

"Be careful," she cautioned. Natsu nodded, then twisted the knob.

The two stopped dead in their tracks as soon as the door eased shut behind them, eyes simultaneously widening in shocked disbelief.

"It's about time you two showed up."

" _Erza?!_ " Lucy and Natsu exclaimed in unison.

The terrifying scarlet-haired woman sat casually on the love seat in the heart room. After a quick glance around, Lucy assessed that Loke was nowhere to be seen, so he must have gone back to the spirit realm.

"I've been waiting here for an hour." Erza added with impatience. "This is hardly the time to be lollygagging."

"What?! Who's doing that?" Natsu looked to Lucy with helpless bewilderment. "We haven't even been here for an hour!"

"Actually, I've been here at least two and a half hours now." Lucy said. He gaped at her.

"And I've been here over an hour…" Erza mused. She stood to her feet and started pacing the space in front of the small couch, much as Lucy had done only moments ago. "It seems that time does not move like normal in this place."

"How is that possible?" Lucy was starting to feel overwhelmed with this place. She didn't know where she was at any given time, nor did she know where any of her friends were! She had found Natsu and Erza, at least, but Jellal and Gray were still missing.

"I can't be certain," Erza began. "But I believe we might be in some alternate dimension."

"Say what?!" Lucy exclaimed.

"No way!" Natsu protested. "We walked right in here!"

"Yes," Erza agreed. "But, if you recall, no one had seen this place in Magnolia before. It didn't just magically appear out of thin air."

"Unless it did." Lucy realized.

"Exactly."

"So, we walked into an alternate dimension?!" Lucy sat down and buried her face in her hands before muttering, "My head hurts."

"I appears so. Jellal must have been correct in assuming this castle was an illusion of sorts." Erza frowned in thought. "The outside _was_ an illusion, but once we stepped inside…"

"We were transported into an alternate dimension." Natsu finished.

"Not transported," Lucy realized, looking up once more. " _Teleported_! Remember what I said about the spelled doors, Natsu?"

"Yeah," Natsu's eyes lit up with understanding.

"Loke told me-"

"Who is this Loke?" Erza interjected.

"One of my spirits," Lucy explained. "Leo the lion. He told me that the doors in this castle were spelled with a specific magic called teleportation."

"I've heard of that," Erza said. "I must have gone right through some of them without realizing it! I'm so foolish!"

"You're not foolish, Erza." Lucy assured her. "My point was, what if this whole _house_ is spelled?"

"What do you mean?" Natsu asked.

Lucy stood up and gestured around them.

"When Virgo dug that hole under the house for us to get in, what if that opened the door to this dimension?"

"I never thought of that." Erza admitted. "I guess the only question now is: how do we get out?" She looked to Lucy expectantly.

"What? I don't have all the answers!" She scratched her collarbone where the lace of her top was making her itch. "I'm just guessing. I've never even heard of all these spells before today!"

"Did you change your clothes?" Erza was frowning at Lucy. She looked down at her shirt and shorts. She had forgotten that she had changed out of her skimpy sundress.

"Um, yes?"

She waited for the redhead to reprimand her as dark eyes scanned over Lucy's outfit.

"Good. That dress was highly inappropriate for this mission." Erza finally said.

Lucy gaped. _THAT'S_ what she was being chastised for?! Erza's tone implying that Lucy had purposely chosen a thin dress for whatever magical escapade they were up to. She sighed.

"What do we do now?" She asked tiredly, deciding not to comment on the strange chastisement.

"Well, Jellal and Gray are both still around here, somewhere." Erza answered. "But, we have no way of knowing exactly where they may be, or how long they're going to stay in one place."

"And it would be pointless to just go wandering around aimlessly." Lucy finished the thought. Erza nodded. "We need a plan."

"I say we just smash through the place until we find them!" Natsu suggested, with a little too much enthusiasm.

"That's... Not a horrible idea," Erza replied thoughtfully. Lucy gaped.

 _Really?_ They were just going to break down walls until they stumbled across the others?

"Yeah! I'm fired up!"

Lucy braced herself as Natsu raced toward a wall with a flaming fist. "Fire Dragon Iron Fist!" He slammed into the wall, creating a huge, Natsu-sized hole in the wood. While Lucy covered her face as dust wafted up into the air, Erza remained indifferent.

"I have created a door!" Natsu bellowed with dramatic enthusiasm. Lucy rolled her eyes.

"Well done, Natsu." Erza nodded her approval. "Let's begin."

The three walked through the makeshift hole, then glanced back into the other room. Surprisingly, at least to Lucy, the room remained the same. They didn't go through a spelled doorway. Maybe Natsu's ridiculous plan would actually work.

The room they were now in looked to be a sort of billiard room, complete with three separate pool tables. They were set up with the balls already in place in the center of each table, and several pool cues hung on the wall behind them. A small bar sat to their left, looking antique and old, like something from an old western movie. A large mirror hung behind it, and reflected their images back at them. Lucy frowned at the disheveled state her hair was now in, and attempted to pat it straight.

"Interesting." Erza mused. "I used to play pool, you know."

"You did?" Natsu didn't sound convinced.

"Yes. I was quite good at it. I could sink every ball!" She stated proudly. She eyed the colored balls on the pool tables curiously, as if thinking of playing a round.

"With a pool cue?" Natsu pressed, gesturing at the hanging cues. Erza glanced at them and then frowned.

"Why would I use a stick to play pool?"

Natsu cackled. "I knew it! You used your swords like a bat! That's so cool!"

"How did you possibly reach that conclusion?" Lucy wondered, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Because Erza is terrifying," he shuddered.

"Of course I used my swords. How else do you play?"

"Those 'sticks' aren't just for show, you know..." Lucy pointed out flatly.

Erza glanced at them again.

"Really? How intriguing."

"Let's just keep looking." Lucy suggested. Watching Erza play pool was not something she wanted to experience.

Erza nodded, and Natsu sent her a wink before slamming into the wall, again creating a makeshift door. This "door" led them to an expansive kitchen. Natsu whooped the moment they stepped through.

"Alright! Food!" Before he could take off running, though, Erza clamped a hand down on his shoulder, stopping his progress. "Hey! What gives?!"

"You will not eat anything in this place." She commanded in a scary tone.

"But I'm starving!" His stomach grumbled as if in response to his protest.

"You'll live." Erza walked through the huge, open space, not touching anything, but inspecting everything. Lucy followed behind her, and Natsu sulked at her side. "This cake looks oddly suspicious." Erza noted, frowning at what looked like a whole strawberry cake. Natsu and Lucy shared a knowing glance. Lucy had only known the scarlet-haired woman for a brief time but could already tell that she had a particular fancy for strawberry cake.

"We can't eat the food, Erza!" Natsu sassed, mimicking her tone from a moment ago. Erza straightened and continued walking across the room (really, this kitchen was enormous!)

"I wasn't going to eat it," she insisted. "I was merely noting its suspicious nature."

"What's suspicious about cake?" Lucy asked, with a barely contained smile.

Erza ignored her as they reached the next wall.

"I shall take this one, Natsu." She announced, then summoned a comically huge sword and smashed through the wall, creating two vertical lines and one horizontal one. The wall cracked thunderously loud as the huge sword tore through it, echoing off the remaining walls and reverberating through Lucy's skull until her ears rang. She wobbled slightly, suddenly off balance.

"Careful there," Natsu steadied her with a hand on her arm, then scowled at Erza. "Did ya have to show off so loudly?!"

"Yes." She turned a satisfied smirk his way. "Besides, I made a perfectly symmetrical doorway!" She gestured grandly. Lucy and Natsu both rolled their eyes but neither gave comment.

They were about to walk through the doorway when a voice called out to them from the other side, halting them in place.

"Did all that noise just come from you, Flame Brain?"

* * *

 **A/N: I HATE CHAPTER TITLES! That is all. XD**

 **A/N 2: SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: I am currently co-writing a Nalu Christmas story with another awesome author, _Grizzly98,_ who writes killer plots, I must add. She puts my poor plotlines to shame XD Anyway, definitely check out our Christmas story, called " _The Twelve Days of Christmas_." I think you will all really like this one! Who doesn't love Nalu fluff, right?! *wink***

* * *

 _ **yellowchickadee**_ **: Haha, it's all yours, dude! I wouldn't want to live in it! Every other door leads somewhere else! I'd be terrified to leave my own bedroom! And, thank you! Your support means the world to me. Honestly.**

 _ **Moon Stone Tiger Lily**_ **: She will get more badass, I promise XD**

 _ **xXPokeFictionXx**_ **: Of course you're important! If you take the time to leave a review, it's the least I can do to leave one back! XD You readers are amazing! I love all the support you bring me. It really makes continuing on with this story (and others!) so much more worthwhile. I love to hear all your thoughts and ideas!**

 _ **Dark Shining Light**_ **: You can't keep Nalu apart for long! They are meant to beeeee!**

 _ **FairyTailxFanGirl**_ **: Actually, I've only started watching** _ **Fairy Tail**_ **a few months ago! Currently I am on about episode 214, I believe, so I'm pretty darn close to being caught up! I did see the episode where Lucy saved Loke, of course, but I haven't seen too many spirits just pop up out of nowhere. Loke and Virgo I have noticed do that on occasion, and Horologium, I suppose. XD**

 ** _Celestic1234_ : Gah, stupid school stuff! XD Thank you! Sorry for the loooong awaited update! I don't usually skip weeks.**

 ** _CupcakeTiara_ : (Chapter1) Aw, thanks! I like the idea of her living with Mira, too! I think she makes the perfect "aunt" for Lucy! (Chapter10) You're so sweet to say that! Sometimes I think this plot is just so-so; it really makes me feel good when someone says something like that. I especially love that it's not like a bunch of other fics! That's the best compliment that you could give me! *Internet hugs***

 **(I THINK I got everyone's reviews, but if I forgot someone, I either didn't get a notification for it, or I received it too late to add. But rest assured, I DO reply to each and every one of you. I appreciate every comment, and really want you all to see how much you mean to me. Thank you for continuing on with me on this journey!)**


	12. Lost Memories

**Fairy Tail High**

 **Chapter 12: Lost Memories**

 **By: xSteleAliniax**

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"Did all that noise just come from you, Flame Brain?"

" _Gray_?!" Natsu exclaimed in disbelief. Lucy looked taken aback as well, but Erza simply looked on with narrowed eyes.

"Gray, you're here at last," her tone implied that it had put her at a great disadvantage by not showing up sooner. Gray scowled, but it was Natsu who spoke up next.

"Where do you get off accusing me of being the noisy one?"

"Because it usually is you, you idiot!" Gray replied with a roll of his dark eyes. Natsu tensed for a fight.

"It was _Erza_ , you Pervy Popsicle!"

"Who you calling 'pervy,' Ash Brains?"

"The only half-naked pervert in the room, obviously!"

Gray looked down, only just noticing that he was only wearing underwear, and then let out a curse before spinning around to search for his clothes. Lucy had noticed this right away and had been pointedly avoiding looking in his direction.

"Have some respect, Gray." Erza chastised, once Gray had pulled on the rest of his clothes. "I thought I told you not to strip naked in front of women."

"It's a habit!" He exclaimed defensively.

"Get a new habit," Erza snapped. Gray bobbed his head in a nod.

"Well, now that we found Gray I guess all we have to do now is find Jellal so we can leave." Natsu mused.

"You make it sound so easy." Lucy replied flatly.

"When did we last see Jellal?" Erza asked the group as she frowned in thought.

"Um, Natsu and I saw him leave the room with the spinning floor, but that was the last we've seen of him." Lucy shrugged, unsure what else to say.

"Same here," Gray said. "I walked into the hole Flame Brain made in the wall of mirrors, and then ended up here." Gray shrugged before adding, "And then you guys showed up."

"So, you've been wasting time in this one room for over an hour?" Erza's eyes were nearly red with rage. Now Gray was the one to look taken aback.

"What are you talking about? I just got here five minutes ago."

"Five minutes?" Lucy repeated with some shock. It seemed Gray had lost the least amount of time in this castle out of all of them. Lucy couldn't fathom how all of this was possible. They had each been lost for different amounts of time, though Gray couldn't technically be considered as "lost" since only five minutes had passed for him. Still… Lucy couldn't help but wonder how the major time differences worked.

"Are you thinking?" Natsu murmured into her ear. She gave a start at his sudden closeness; she hadn't noticed his approach. He quirked her a grin at her surprise. "You have a crease right here," a finger between her eyebrows.

"Oh," she laughed nervously. "Yeah, my mother used to tease me about that, also. I guess it's always sort of been a habit of mine."

Natsu snorted.

"Better to have a cute thinking face than to strip naked like Ice Princess," he grinned. She looked away to hide her flaring cheeks. She was saved having to come up with a response when Erza spoke up in what Lucy was beginning to see as her normal tone.

"Alright, now that most of us have been reunited into the group, our next course of action will be to find a way out of this place at once."

"What about Jellal?" Lucy asked with a frown.

"And Raven Tail," Natsu added.

"It seems that we are a bit outclassed with the Raven Tail guild," Erza explained. "Not only did they manage to trap us inside their base house, they also successfully separated our entire team in a matter of minutes. We cannot fight them in this place. We need to regroup at Base, and then come back with a better plan."

"You really think they're just going to sit here and wait for us to come back?" Gray asked skeptically.

"No," Erza admitted. "But it is the only option we have at this time."

"But, what about Jellal?" Lucy repeated.

"Oh, he'll be fine." Erza waved a dismissive hand. "He is most capable of getting himself out of a bind." Erza smirked. "In fact, I think he is probably more capable than all of us combined."

"What if he's searching for us?" Lucy pointed out. After all, wasn't that what all of them had been doing?

"Jellal is smart," Erza said. "He won't go looking for us. He'll have already figured out that there is no possible way to win here, and have gotten himself out. We must make haste so that we may join him once again on the outside!" Erza put a fist in the air, expression determined.

"Aye, sir!" Natsu copied her action.

"So," Gray began uneasily, "any ideas on how to get out?"

That brought everyone up short.

"Let's bust through the roof!" Natsu burst out. Three sets of eyes glared at him.

"No." Came the collective reply. Natsu pouted, poking his lip out and looking away with his arms crossed.

"Well, at least it was an idea." He grumbled. Lucy rolled her eyes at his dramatics.

"I suggest we continue on as we were," Erza said, an evil glint in her eyes as she swung her sword easily through the air, almost casually so. Lucy shifted uncomfortably where she stood.

 _Was it completely necessary to be so destructive all the time?_

"My turn!" Natsu crowed, then charged the wall with insane speed, and a force that rocked the walls around them when he slammed into one. Lucy stumbled on her feet.

"That was not very symmetrical, Natsu." Erza chastised, voice dripping with disapproval.

"But it still got the job done!" He grinned, clapping dust off of his hands. Gray snorted a laugh but made no comment as he walked through the hole in the wall. The others followed, and they found themselves in the pink room that Lucy and Natsu had come in earlier.

"Oh, Mavis…" Erza halted in her tracks, her body going stiff as a board, as her eyes widening to an impossible size. Lucy, who was standing next to her, frowned over at the woman. A look of something like horror crossed her features as her eyes stared around the room.

"What's wrong, Erza?" Lucy asked, turning to follow her gaze but seeing nothing besides all the pink and the ballerina silhouettes, which filled her with some fear at the memory of what happened the last time they were in this room.

"This room…" Erza said slowly. "Used to be mine."

" _What?!_ " They all exclaimed as one.

"But-it's so…" Gray began.

" _Pink_ ," Natsu finished with a shudder.

"It is a most embarrassing piece of my past," Erza shook her head in disappointment.

Lucy frowned.

 _So, she isn't the only one who's past has been hidden in this house…_

Lucy opened her mouth to say as much, but Natsu beat her to it.

"Um, so you know that room where that creepy chick was trying to attack you, Lucy?" Natsu asked. She glanced over at him but he avoided her gaze, choosing instead to unwind his scarf and wrap it back around his neck.

"…Yeah?"

"Well…" Natsu paused, as if trying to decide if he really wanted to continue. When he did, his words were reluctant. "That was my sister."

"Your— _what_?!" Lucy exclaimed, eyes bugging at the impossibility.

 _His_ _sister?_

It wasn't that Lucy didn't believe Natsu had a sister, but rather that the person in that room was the same one that shared the very DNA as the boy standing before her.

Natsu nodded, expression grave. "Yes. Her name was Wendy."

"Was?" Lucy asked quietly, feeling her face fall.

Another nod.

"She went batshit crazy, and the Magic Council found her before we could… rehabilitate her." Natsu explained. "Sometimes, with Dragon Slayer children, one or more of their offspring will have some… dire side effects prior to birth." His voice sounded far away now, and his expression matched, like he was seeing into the past.

"The first indication that she was starting to turn came after we found her first 'art piece' on the wall of her bedroom. Lucy can attest to this, it was not… pretty."

"What exactly happens when these offspring… turn, did you say?" Erza asked. She was frowning in thought, taking in everything Natsu was saying.

"That's the term we use when the Dragon Slayer gene doesn't take properly to the child," Natsu affirmed. He took a deep breath before continuing. "The term is not used lightly among Dragon Slayers, in fact, it is hardly used at all.

"When an offspring _turns_ , it isn't always apparent in the beginning. Wendy was a normal child growing up; she never got into fights at school, never displayed any ill intent toward others or herself. Actually, she was one of the most considerate children I had ever known." Natsu got a wistful smile on his face at this. "She was always happy and willing to help others, even when she was just a tiny tot.

"But, one day, that all changed."

"What happened?" Lucy asked, placing a comforting hand on his am when he stopped pacing.

"It was her twelfth birthday, and Mom and I were taking her to the mall to pick out a new outfit, or something, I don't remember exactly." Natsu rolled his eyes at the memory. "Anyway, Mom told me to go fetch Wendy from her room upstairs because she wasn't coming down, despite the many calls Mom made up the stairs.

"When I knocked on the door, I heard a grating sound, like nails on a chalkboard." He grimaced. "At first, I thought it was only my sensitive Dragon Slayer ears picking up on something, but when I pushed the door open I saw Wendy standing there, covered in blood, holding a piece of plywood that had nails sticking out of it at odd angles.

"I'll never forget the expression on her face when she turned to me," Natsu's face paled, his eyes going dark as he relived the memory. Lucy slipped her hand into his; to anchor him, to keep him from the darkness that was his memories.

He turned a small, grateful smile her way, squeezing her hand in his once before he went on.

"That was when I knew something was wrong. After I yelled for Mom and Dad to come up, we all just sort of stared at her for a long time, watching as she placed the plywood on the wall and hammered it in before adding more nails. When we asked her what she was doing, she answered in her normal sweet tone, sounding completely herself. But the smile she gave us was sinister and wicked, nothing like the bright, cheerful smile of my little sister."

"What did you guys do?" Gray asked, looking a little pale himself. No one had heard this particular story before, it seemed.

"At first, we weren't sure _what_ to do," Natsu admitted. "Dad had heard tales of Dragon Slayer children turning—and he related these to me only after that first incident with Wendy—but there wasn't really much to go on; there weren't many stories out there, and even less that had actual proof.

"For a while, we decided to just wait and see what happened. We hoped and prayed that Wendy would be alright; after all, she was soon to be a teenage girl, and her hormones were beginning to change—this could also affect Dragon Slayer daughters. But, we soon found that hormones were not the cause of her sudden behavior change.

"She started exhibiting… strange behavior, like the 'art,' as well as lashing out at us with no particular cause." Natsu's frown deepened, and his eyes clouded over with dread. "It was terrifying, seeing her act out in that way."

"And that's when the Council stepped in?" Gray guessed.

Natsu shook his head. "Not quite… Up until about a month after she started showing symptoms of turning, all of her… _episodes_ , had been private, all contained within our home. It wasn't until a much more public episode occurred that the Council took action." He gave a hard shudder and his breath caught in his throat.

Lucy's heart ached for this boy, for the sister he lost to a disease that had no cure. She squeezed his hand again, willing him not to be sad.

"Anyway," Natsu continued, after clearing his throat. "That's when they took her. And I haven't seen her since."

"How long ago was that?" Lucy couldn't help but ask.

"Three years, give or a take." He shrugged nonchalantly, but Lucy got the impression that Natsu could tell her down to the minute when his sister had been taken from him.

 _Wait…_

A thought suddenly occurred to her. She frowned, doing the math in her head three times for good measure but still not coming to a conclusion that made any sense.

"You said she was twelve when this all happened, right?" She turned to him, and he gave her a slow nod. "But, the person in that room, the one who tried to attack me… she was a woman, at least in her mid-twenties." Again, he nodded.

"Yes, but it was her, I'd know my sister anywhere. They were just using her to get to me." He growled this last part, and tightened the hand that Lucy still held a little too tightly. She bit back a cry of pain as his face contorted with anger. "I know it wasn't really Wendy, but, in a sense, it was."

"Like this childhood bedroom of mine," Erza mused.

 _Or the bedroom of mine,_ Lucy silently added.

"This house is really something else." Gray grumbled.

"It is, indeed," Erza agreed. "It is most peculiar. I am going to go out on a limb here, and say that this whole place has been one elaborate trap."

"A trap?!" Lucy exclaimed. "But-how?"

"That is still unclear," Erza's tone turned thoughtful, "however, I think I know who is behind this whole plot."

"Wait," Gray interjected before she could go on. "I thought Raven Tail were the ones screwing with us?"

"No, it's becoming clear to me that Raven Tail was never behind this. They play a role, sure, but they aren't the real masterminds here."

"Then, who is?" Lucy asked quietly, not really sure she wanted to know the answer. But, it wasn't Erza who answered her question.

"I am the brain of this castle."

* * *

 **A/N: I'm sorry this is so late! I literally JUST finished it right now! I know I usually post at ungodly early hours of the morning, but I wasn't able to finish this chapter in time to post this morning, and was only just able to quickly throw together some semblance of words that may or may not actually make sense XD Anyway, who loooooooves when I leave a cliffhanger? *wink* I think Grizz is rubbing off on me, she's making me evil XD hehe. So, if you're enraged by this cliffhanger, blame her, not me. Yes. That sounds fair to me.**

 **A/N 2: If you haven't already heard, I'm doing a co-op with Grizzly98 over on her account. It's called " _The Twelve Days of Christmas_ ," and it's a twelve-part Nalu story that loosely follows the movie it's named after. But with a Nalu twist XD Anyway, the first chapter dropped on the first, and the rest go every odd day after that. There are currently 5 chapters live, so definitely go and check that out once you've finished this chapter. **

**And while you're over there, do pay my new friend and co-op partner a visit. She has some awesome stories that I know you'll all love! Her newest story, _The Magnolia Crews_ , is one I have helped edit, and would recommend highly. You won't be disappointed. **

**With all that being said, thank you for reading this chapter, and I promise I will TRY to be more punctual for chapter 13!**

* * *

 ** _Celestic1234_ : Oooh, very intersting thoughts. Maybe you're right, maybe you're not... *wink***

 ** _CupcakeTiara_ : Your feeling was correct XD Good guess! And, thank you! I think haha. I try not to drag on and bore the hell out of everyone. I don't much like those loooooong, drawn out chapters myself, so I try to stick to 2,000-3,000 words for each.**

 ** _Moon Stone Tiger Lily_ : Corrrrrrrrreectamundo! XD Like Natsu could make a perfectly symmetrical doorway, psssshhhh. Haha.**


	13. Under His Spell

**Fairy Tail High**

 **Chapter 13: Under His Spell**

 **By: xSteleAliniax**

 **Beta'd By: _Katie Dragneel_ -A.K.A Katherine, A.K.A newest member of the SBF (Stele Beta Force! Is that a thing? Definitely.)**

* * *

"No way!" Natsu exclaimed in disbelief, eyes bugging out at the speaker.

"It's… you?" Erza's tone was equally perplexed.

"Who the hell are you?!" Lucy exclaimed, thoroughly confused.

"I guess we'll never really get away from you, will we?" Gray asked in a flat tone, arms folded across his chest, as he stared down the person in front of them.

Lucy frowned. What did he mean by that?

A slow, sinister, grin pulled at the edges of plum-colored lips as piercing red eyes gleamed over at them. A pale hand flicked back dual-colored hair in a dramatic fashion, making the red beads there shift softly. The white fur-trimmed coat he wore flowed around him, hanging down to his ankles.

" _Midnight_ ," Erza growled, gripping the sword she still held in a tight fist. The man, Midnight, raised an eyebrow at the weapon, as if daring the swordswoman to strike. "Are you really the one behind this whole thing?"

Midnight shrugged one shoulder, then raised his hands as if holding something up. When he dropped his hands, the entire house around them vanished in the blink of an eye.

"What the-?!" Lucy exclaimed.

Suddenly, they were standing in a vast cornfield, the stalks high and thick around them. Lucy couldn't see anyone else, and panic started to rise within her, thinking that Midnight had taken her friends away from her.

Then, she heard a familiar growl.

"Grr, I'll light this whole freaking place on fire!" Natsu roared ragefully from somewhere to her left. She stayed where she was, unwilling to venture out any farther; she had heard plenty of stories about people getting lost in cornfields.

A sinister laugh filled the air, it seemed to come from everywhere at once.

"Try all you wish," he said. "It won't do any good. These are no ordinary corn stalks, you see. Go ahead, Salamander, let's see how much power you can wield."

Lucy was sure this was a trap, and gooseflesh rose on her skin as she waited to see what Natsu would do, and what repercussions would come from his actions. She didn't know who this 'Midnight' person was, but the fear his very presence filled her with was enough to root her to the spot.

"Don't do anything rash," Erza warned from her right. Lucy turned her head, but couldn't see the redhead through the thick stalks. "This smells like a trap."

"But, of course, it is!" Midnight scoffed, as if this was perfectly obvious. "Still, it is always amusing to watch you flies attempt to get the better of me. So, please, do entertain me. It will be most amusing to watch you writhing in agony. Like a sweet, sweet melody of pain…"

"You're despicable!" Erza's tone accusatory. "Why are you doing this?"

"Why?" Midnight asked, feigned curiosity seeping into his tone. "Hm. I suppose it's because I'm bored."

"So, read a book," Gray suggested. "And leave _us_ the hell alone."

" _Read_ ," he scoffed. "As if I would waste my time on such menial tasks when I could play with some fairies instead."

 _Fairies_?

"Well, come on then!" Natsu yelled, and Lucy could just hear him cracking his knuckles. "Let's go, I'm fired up for this!"

"Your move, fly," Midnight challenged.

"Fire Dragon: Iron Fist!"

Natsu's voice rang out in the open air, swirling around where Lucy stood, an echo almost. Then, just as she saw him start to break through the stalks to her left, he let out a yelp of pain and crashed to the ground at her feet, body jerking as if it had been shocked.

"Natsu!" She fell at his side. Burn marks covered his skin, and his hair stuck up even more than normal.

Midnight let out a maniacal laugh.

"And another fairy falls. How very amusing."

"I'm going to burn you to a crisp!" Natsu hollered, but when he tried to get up his body gave another twitch, and his face twisted with agony.

"I'd love to see you try,"

Midnight's tone suggested any attempts at attack would be futile.

"Don't do it, Natsu!" Lucy hissed in his ear.

"Listen to her, Flame Brain,"

 _Gray_.

She could hear him but she still could not see him. Her eyes scanned the corn stalks around her, searching for her friends, but she could see no one except for Natsu, who still twitched at her feet.

"You're no match for him," Gray continued. "Remember what happened last time-"

"Shut up, Ice Boy!" Natsu interjected. He attempted to stand again, this time with some success, though his legs wobbled slightly. "No fair cheating with lightening stalks," he added, annoyance clear in his tone.

"Ha!" Midnight scoffed again. "Like you were ever a challenge for someone like me."

"Why don't you come and say that to my face, you transgender freak?!" Natsu lit up another fist, the blazing fire illuminating the almost sadistic smirk on his face.

Lucy shifted her attention back to the dual-haired wizard, who used a single finger to beckon the Dragon Slayer forward

Despite her protests, Natsu lunged at the other wizard but he didn't use the same attack as before.

"Fire Dragon: Brilliant Flame!"

He brought two flaming fists together, thus creating a huge ball of fire, which he then shot forward towards his opponent. Lucy gasped in surprise and thought for sure that spell would knock the other wizard into the next county.

But, that would have been too easy.

Midnight stayed where he was, eyelids half-closed, expression radiating boredom. And just as Natsu's flames were about to hit their target, Midnight gave a dramatic yawn before casually flicking his wrist to the side. Natsu's flames skirted around the red-eyed wizard and then turned a full circle.

Heading straight for them.

"Natsu!" Lucy screamed, as the brilliant ball of fire came flying straight at his face. But, like Midnight, Natsu merely rolled his eyes and waited for impact. When the flames hit his face, he _ate_ them. "What the hell?!" Lucy blanched at the sight as the Dragon Slayer swallowed the flames, then wiped his mouth and spat on the ground.

"Blech, there's nothing worse than eating your own flames. Well," he reconsidered. "I guess eating one of Gray's spells would be worse." He shivered, as if suddenly cold.

 _Huh_?

Midnight snorted. "You call that power? More like _pathetic_."

"I don't see any sweet shows of power from you," Natsu grumbled, apparently choosing to take offense at the gibe rather than make another attack.

"I don't need to prove my power," Midnight countered, expression mirroring his bored tone. "I have already set my trap. And you flies fell for it like the fools you are!" He gave another maniacal laugh and Natsu winced at the sound of it.

Lucy gritted her teeth together in frustration. Why was she cowering on the ground like some helpless girl? She wasn't helpless, she was strong; she was Lucy Heartfilia!

"Leave them alone,"

Midnight's red eyes fell on her, one eyebrow raising. More in curiosity than surprise, though.

"It speaks," he held out a hand towards her, palm up. "Come, then. Let's see what the little girl can do."

His red eyes gleamed at her while his plum lips smirked. In return, her chocolate eyes narrowed, pale lips lifting in an almost-smirk.

"Don't try anything, Lucy," Erza warned, voice slightly isolated for some reason, like she was speaking to her from very far away.

"Yeah, let me handle this freak," Natsu added. Lucy scowled and gave a low growl. Natsu didn't turn towards the sound, but she saw his ears twitch.

"I don't need saving, Natsu!" She cried, suddenly feeling rageful.

"Hmm. A lovers quarrel," Midnight sighed audibly, and made a big show of inspecting his black lacquered fingernails. "How dull."

"What?!" Natsu exclaimed, face flushing a light pink.

Lucy ignored the comment as she continued to glare daggers at the dual-haired wizard, who didn't so much as blink at her murderous expression.

Lucy held the other wizard's gaze as she called up her magic power, feeling a small bit of satisfaction at the barely perceptible twitch of his eye. Surprised, perhaps?

It wasn't as difficult as she thought it would be but suddenly there were two Lucy's standing there, side-by-side, both wearing equally rage filled expressions.

At this, Midnight gave pause. She didn't think seeing two of her would have any effect on the man, so it came as some shock when he simply blinked in surprise.

The two Lucy's smirked as one.

"Surprised?" One asked.

"Gemini…" Midnight whispered, voice imitating the same shock as his face. "But, I thought Sorano…?" There was an unspoken question at the end of that statement that Lucy was pretty sure she knew the answer to. Her smirk widened.

"Was that her name?" Lucy asked, feigning ignorance. Midnight's eyes narrowed. "Our battle was so short I'm afraid I didn't even have a chance to ask."

"Sorano was a terrible wizard," Gemini replied in Lucy-form. "She was most cruel to us. Lucy cares for us like friends, all of us."

"I don't understand…" Midnight looked back and forth between the two Lucy's, as if completely perplexed that the two existed. And yet, he seemed to know exactly who the second Lucy was.

Everyone else, however…

"What the hell?!" Natsu exclaimed, green eyes bugging as they shifted between Lucy and Gemini.

"What?" Gray called over to them, confusion lacing his tone. Lucy wondered if he and Erza were stuck somehow because they hadn't so much as moved into sight since Midnight brought them from the house.

"How did you summon them without a key?" Midnight's eyes continued to flick between them, as if unsure which one was wizard and which one was spirit.

"I'm done being some helpless girl," Lucy said, eyes filled with determination. Midnight didn't exactly look afraid, but summoning Gemini had definitely given him pause, which was what Lucy had been hoping for. "I don't want to sit on the sidelines and let my friends have all the fun."

At this, Midnight barked a humorless laugh. "Well, if you want in on the action then come on. I won't stop you from sharing in their pain and misfortune."

Natsu must have found this turn of events particularly funny because he suddenly burst into laughter, much to both Lucy and Gemini's bemusement. Midnight appeared to be the only unaffected party as his expression shifted from his momentary confusion to sinister indifference. Lucy didn't think that was such an expression, until she saw it on the face of the dual-haired wizard.

"Gemini," Lucy held out a hand and Gemini clasped their hand in hers. They gave a triumphant smile at Midnight, who simply stood there, arms crossed, expression wiped clean, red eyes gleaming as they bored into Lucy's.

" _Oh, stars, far and wide that embody the heavens,_ " Lucy and Gemini began as one. Midnight rose a curious eyebrow but still didn't so much as blink an eye. " _By thy radiance reveal thy form to me_."

"What are you doing, Lucy? Er, Lucies?" Natsu asked, expression now a mix of confusion and shock.

" _I implore Tetrabiblos, eternal ruler of the stars above. Let your unrestrained rage flow_."

"Wait," Erza's voice. "I haven't heard that spell since...Lucy, don't do that spell here!"

But Lucy, or Gemini, didn't seem to hear the redhead as they continued their chant.

" _I ask that you lend your power to me. Open! The raging tumultuous gate_!"

"Lucy, no!" Erza pleaded, but her voice was still too far away. Lucy heard nothing but the chanting of hers and Gemini's voices combined.

Midnight smirked as he waited for the celestial wizard to finish her spell.

"Yes, fly, just a little further…" Midnight coaxed.

"Stop her, Natsu!" Erza commanded.

"Why?" He asked, frowning. "She's gonna totally blow this guy into next year!"

" _With all eighty-eight heavenly bodies… shining_!"

"Natsu, if she completes that spell in this field-"

But Erza never got a chance to finish that warning.

" _Urano Metria_!"

"No!"

"Lucy!"

 _Blackness_.

* * *

 **A/N: I KNOW, you all loooooove cliffhangers, right? XD Sorry about that! And sorry this chapter was so short! Hopefully the next one will be longer! At least this one is posted on time this week! Thanks to my super awesome new Beta Reader,** _ **Katie Dragneel**_ **, who edited this chapter for me. This is also the first chapter FTH has had edited so it should be nice and clean and error free! Welcome to the team, Katherine! You're awesome!**

* * *

 _ **Soul-of-glass**_ **: Haha, thanks XD**

 _ **FairyTailxFanGirl**_ **: Aw thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed that bit of Natsu's past! And I know how you feel, it was hard writing her like that! I love Wendy, too, she is one of my favorite characters.**

 _ **Moon Stone Tiger Lily**_ **: Not Jellal XD But good guess! He IS still suspiciously missing… Hm. *wink***

 _ **Dark Shining Light**_ **: Thank yooooouuu! XD That chapter came out a lot different than I originally planned for it, but I liked the changes! We needed a bit of info on Natsu's past. And we'll learn more about him and the others soon enough! If they live that long *waggles eyebrows***


	14. Dream or Reality?

**A/N: I am SO SORRY for all my crappy uploading lately, life has been hella crazy! I know that's no excuse, but writing has been difficult as of late. I am hoping that will change soon, as I want to go back to posting FTH weekly, rather than every other week as I have been the last few chapters. Many apologies!**

* * *

 **Fairy Tail High**

 **Chapter 14: Dreams or Reality?**

 **By: xSteleAliniax**

 **Beta'd By: _Katie Dragneel_**

* * *

 _I scream out as the blackness envelops me. It wraps around me like a vise, holding me tightly, almost suffocatingly so. Dark tendrils travel along my skin, leaving a burning trail behind, like acid, the sensation makes me cry out. I grit my teeth together against it, but it does nothing to alleviate the pain._

 _"I told you I would find you, Lucy Heartfilia…"_

 _I gasp. I know that voice… I have heard it in my dreams, in my nightmares, but I've also heard it somewhere else._

Midnight _._

 _My eyes pop open, but I see nothing but the thick blackness that holds me prisoner. Am I even still alive? Maybe this is hell. Maybe this is the punishment I must endure for failing my friends. They warned me. They told me not to do the spell, I could hear them, but I couldn't stop myself! It was like I was under some sort of trance. My lips kept moving, uttering the words that plunged us into this doom._

 _And now I pay the price._

 _"Would you like to experience what a true nightmare feels like, Lucy?" his voice hisses around me, echoing off of unseen walls. I try to reject this offer, but my lips won't move. It's like they're glued shut. When I try to blink my eyes, to clear the inky black matter that blinds me, I find that my eyelids won't move, either. Likewise, my entire body is immobile; in stasis._

 _"Do you like that?" the voice, Midnight, asks. "How does it feel to be completely vulnerable? Maybe that's how your friends feel, now that you've banished them all to this hell, all thanks to a little spell."_

 _I cannot move, cannot speak, cannot act, or react in any way. What does the voice want from me? If it is simply to fill me with guilt, then job well done. What could possibly feel worse than the guilt of letting all my friends die because of me?_

 _Just as I think that, I feel a sharp, searing pain hit my body, and I scream. The pain is unbearable. It eats away at my skin until I am certain there is nothing left. Surely, I have been reduced to no more than a skeleton._

 _"Sweet, sweet, melody of pain," Midnight lets out a menacing cackle, making me cringe._

Leave me alone _! I scream inside my head._

 _"Ha!" Midnight scoffs, as if he has somehow heard my thoughts. "But, I've only just begun to play with you, fly. Besides… you have nowhere to go—this is your hell. This is where your eternity begins."_

"No!"

"Lucy! Lucy, wake up!"

She gasped, eyes flying open wide, and looking around wildly. Mira sat just to her right, clutching one of her hands in both of hers, blue eyes full of concern as they gleamed down at her.

"M-Mira?" she choked out, voice coming out hoarse. "Where are-?"

Nausea rolled in her stomach, and before she could finish her thought, she leaned over and heaved, choking up bile onto the hard ground. She coughed for a solid minute before she was finally able to relieve her stomach, then pushed herself into a sitting position.

"Are you alright, Lucy?" Mira asked, smoothing out the hair that clung to Lucy's forehead, which was damp with sweat, and hot as fire.

"I think so…" Lucy answered slowly. She rubbed the left side of her head, which throbbed slightly as if she'd been struck, and peered around at her surroundings with a frown. "Where am I?" she asked confusedly.

She didn't recognize the room she was in. It was dimly lit, and bare except for a small couch, which Lucy now lay on. The walls were a gray concrete, and the floors were the same, though slightly darker and flecked with dust.

A small lamp sat in the corner on the floor, which was where the faint light was coming from.

"Um," Mira scratched her head as if anxious about something. "I suppose it's time to answer some of your questions," she finally said.

"But, I only asked one-"

"No, no," Mira cut her off, "Some of your questions from earlier, I mean."

"Earlier?" Lucy asked, perplexed.

Mira nodded. "This morning, over tea." Mira frowned at her with concerned eyes. "Are you feeling okay, Lucy?"

"Huh?" she put a hand to her forehead, then winced at the heat that radiated from it. "I'm… not sure."

Mira placed a hand to her forehead. "Oh, my. You are rather warm."

"Yeah, but-Mira, how did I get here? Where are we? What are we doing-?"

"Lucy," Mira stopped her rant, which was quickly gaining volume in her frustration. "There will be time for such questions, but for now, I need to tell you a few things."

Lucy took a deep breath and then nodded. "Okay,"

"There are many things you don't yet know," she began.

Lucy snorted. "Yeah, because no one will tell me anything!"

"Patience," Mira chastised softly.

Lucy rolled her eyes, but remained silent.

"First off," Mira continued primly. "My relationship with your father goes beyond this particular arrangement,"

Lucy groaned. "Ugh, I don't want to know what-"

"Stop interrupting," she snapped. "It is not so sordid. I only meant that we knew each other long before you came to stay with me."

"Were you friends or…" Lucy trailed off when Mira sent her a silencing death glare. She bit her lip and waited impatiently.

"Jude and I weren't exactly friends, but we were casual acquaintances." Mira continued in a quiet voice, almost reluctantly so. Lucy couldn't hold back her small gasp of surprise. If Mira noticed this small sound she didn't show it. "We worked with the same group on occasion.

"Now, before you interrupt again," Mira shot Lucy a pointed look, as she had, indeed, been about to do just that. She clamped her mouth shut, forming a hard line, impatience radiating off her in strong waves.

Mira's lip twitched with amusement.

"You must listen to everything I have to say. I promise it will clear up many of your questions." Mira took a deep breath, as if preparing for a long, drawn out tale.

"A few years ago, when you were still a small child, there were such things as magic guilds," Mira explained, "which were basically groups of mages who formed together with a common goal, such as taking down an enemy.

"However, before many of these guilds could be properly established, or gain any sort of authenticity, some of the more evil wizards began to band together and form guilds of their own. We call those the 'dark guilds'."

"Like, Raven Tail," Lucy guessed, recalling the dark guild who had been after her and her friends only moments before.

Mira nodded gravely. "Yes, among others; Oracion Seis and Tartaros vying for the top spot in the dark guild pyramid."

"That's revolting," Lucy gagged a little.

"It is," Mira agreed, "but we have to live with it, now. There is nothing to be done about it, except to fight back.

"And that's where you come in. Your father spent many years preparing you to be a warrior to the cause."

"Wait, _what_?!" Lucy's eyes bugged at this new piece of information, and she couldn't quite decide if she even believed it or not. "How?"

"Remember your 'ladies maid'?" Mira asked, raising an eyebrow expectantly.

"Virgo? You mean my-"

"Your celestial spirit," Mira confirmed. "She has been with you since you were a small child, has she not?"

"Well, yes, but-"

"And your 'guardian,' Loke," Mira went on as if Lucy hadn't even spoken, "who has followed you since your first day of kindergarten, always by your side and keeping you alert and on your toes.

"And what about your battle with Sorano, the celestial wizard who seemed to have shown up out of thin air one evening while you were on your way to a job interview, per your father's request?"

"Wait," Lucy closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose as she tried to process everything. "Are you saying that my father knew about that attack?"

"I'm saying that Jude was the one who orchestrated the attack as a way to prepare you." Mira's tone was dark, making Lucy feel a sudden icy chill run down her spine.

"My father… sent someone to attack me… to _test_ me?" Lucy couldn't hide the disbelief and horror from her voice, or the slight hesitation because, though she wished that her father wasn't capable of such things, she knew better than to underestimate him. Jude Heartfilia was hardly a straightforward or honest man.

"I… can't believe it," she choked out as she desperately tried to find a good excuse for her father's reasoning, because him simply wanting to prepare her was just not enough for her. "Why would he do something so heinous?"

Mira sighed heavily and shook her head. "It is a most complicated situation, Lucy."

"So, where do _you_ fit into all of this?" she asked, fixing her gaze on the white-haired woman, who now avoided her gaze, picking at a stray thread on her red dress. "And how do you know so much about my life?" Suspicion laced her tone as her eyes bored into the side of the woman's head.

"Your father filled me in on most things," she replied slowly, reluctantly. "But, I was also there with you, Lucy."

" _What_?!" Lucy exclaimed. "You were-no! I'd definitely remember you if I had seen you before, I never forget a face."

"You were not willed to recall my face, hun." Mira met her gaze, at last, though hers was somber.

"What does that even mean?" Lucy groaned in frustration. "I thought this was supposed to clear things up for me? So far, all you've done is give me even more questions!"

She gave a wan smile. "There is only so much I can tell you, Lucy; there is only so much I know."

Lucy huffed and folded her arms across her chest stubbornly.

"Come now," Mira patted her arm. "Don't be that way."

"I hate feeling like this," Lucy whispered, fighting back the tears that stung her eyes.

Mira frowned. "What do you mean, Lucy?"

"Everything is falling apart!" she exclaimed. "I don't even know what to think anymore." She buried her face in her hands and pinched her eyes shut.

"There, there," Mira rubbed circles into her back.

"Mira," Lucy's head suddenly shot up, and she locked her eyes on the woman sitting beside her. Her blue eyes widened slightly at the look Lucy wore. "What happened to Natsu and the others?"

Mira frowned. "Who?"

"My friends! The ones in the cornfield!"

Confusion furrowed Mira's brows. "I'm not sure what you mean, Lucy."

Lucy's eyes were wild as she gripped the white-haired woman by the arm. "Mira, I was just in a cornfield with Natsu and the others when we were attacked by…" she paused, as her thoughts went suddenly hazy. "I… can't recall the name, now…" she pinched the bridge of her nose, as if that would help her mind to remember the details.

"What is the last thing you remember?"

Lucy thought for a moment.

"I remember standing in a cornfield," she began slowly, "and, we were about to do… something," she frowned, trying to bring up the memory, but her mind was blank. "Why can't I remember?" she balled her hands into fists against her temples, teeth grinding together in frustration.

"Perhaps it was all just a bad dream," Mira suggested in a quiet voice.

 _A dream_? She thought for a long moment. _No, I know it was real. It couldn't have been a dream_.

"It wasn't a dream," she said aloud.

"Dreams can feel very real-" Mira began.

"It wasn't a dream!" Lucy insisted. Mira shrugged. Lucy groaned. "I'm just confused because-ugh, I don't know why!"

Why couldn't she remember anything? Even if it had been a dream, surely she would still have some memory of it, but her mind was a complete blank, as if nothing even existed beyond waking up in this room.

"Mira," she turned back toward the woman. "How did I get here? To this room?"

"You were already here, Lucy,"

Lucy's eyes grew impossibly wide, and her mouth dropped open slightly.

"What?" she asked, her voice barely audible.

"When I came home this evening and you weren't there, I got worried." Mira explained. "I did a search on you, and I found you in this building."

"You… did a _search_ on me?" Lucy frowned. "What does that mean?"

"It's a spell, one that is not used much these days."

"A tracking spell?" she asked.

Mira nodded in confirmation. "Basically, though it's an ancient spell, and most complicated."

"And it led you to this…" she looked around the barren space. "Room?"

"Yes,"

"But…"

An image of a room with nails for a wall flashed through her mind.

"I was in a different room…" Lucy still spoke in a hushed tone, as if afraid to raise her voice too high. "There were nails on the walls. Someone threw me against them…"

"Nails?" Mira's eyes widened at the mental image.

"Yeah, but…" her head suddenly felt as if it was being squeezed, and she grunted in pain.

"Goodness," Mira placed a hand to her forehead, which still burned with fever. "You're burning hot, Lucy. Maybe the fever is muddling your mind."

"I'm not confused," Lucy argued defensively. "I'm just…"

"Confused?" Mira finished, raising an eyebrow.

Lucy sighed. "I don't know-wait,"

Flashes of images crossed through her mind: Gemini standing beside her in the cornfield, holding her hand as the two chanted something…

Lucy gasped, and Mira glanced over at her in surprise.

"Mira, I know what happened."

* * *

 **A/N: So... how many cliffhangers can I get away with before you guys start arming yourselves with pitchforks? XD So, where do you guys think Lucy is right now? And why do you think her memory has suddenly faded? And who wants to guess where Mira came from? Leave your comments in the reviews and I'll see you for the next update!**

* * *

Shout-Out Corner!

 ** _Soul-of-glass_ : Haha, indeed XD**

 ** _millervalariecamille_ : Thank you! And sorry for another cliffhanger! Forgive me!**

 ** _TheHimeofStars_ : Hehe, I thought it sounded cool, too XD And thank you! Glad you liked the chapter!**

 ** _FairyTailxFanGirl_ : Haha, sorry about that XD Cliffhangers ahoy! **

**_unknown-1928_ : Yay! You love it! Many thanks! Sorry for the terribly long wait!**

 **fandomtrash3: I love Jellal XD**

 ** _Moon Stone Tiger Lily_ : She never listens... tsk tsk. **

**_hippycat7484_ : Aaaaand here's another cliffhanger! I know it's only a matter of time before you guys hunt me down and burn me to a crisp for all these cliffhangers XD**


	15. Real Magic

**Fairy Tail High**

 **Chapter 15: Real Magic**

 **By: xSteleAliniax**

 **Beta'd By: _Katie Dragneel_**

* * *

"Mira, I know what happened."

Mira's eyes went wide at her statement. "You… do?" she asked carefully.

Lucy nodded vigorously as more and more images flitted across her mind like a film reel.

"It was Midnight, he was the one behind all of this! He was the one to set that trap that was Raven Tail's castle, he was the one to pull us into the cornfield and then attack us, and he was the one that lured me into doing that spell with Gemini!" Her words came out in one long breath, and by the time she got them all out she was gasping for air.

"Where did Ivan come from, then, if it was all a trap set-up by Midnight?" Mira asked.

"Ivan? You mean Raven Tail's master?" Mira nodded in answer to her question. "Heck, I don't know! Maybe that was part of the illusion, too! I don't know anything about this Midnight guy, but—" a thought suddenly occurred to her, pulling her up short.

She glanced back over at Mira, who blinked back at her with an expression of careful indifference. Her eyes, which Lucy distinctly remembered as being an exquisite, icy blue color, looked darker today, more navy than ice, and lacked the life that they normally held. They looked cold, now, dead.

Lucy swallowed hard and worked to keep her own expression indifferent as well.

 _Perhaps it was all just a bad dream_ , Mira had said.

 _The fever is muddling your brain_.

 _You were already here_.

Lucy felt as though ice was freezing her from the inside out as she continued to lock eyes with the white-haired woman. How did she know so much about her? About her life and about her family? It was disturbing, to say the least. The story she told about her and Jude being casual acquaintances was believable enough, anyone could have been her father's friend, but what struck her as strange was the fact that she had apparently been a part of Lucy's life, as well, in the background, invisible. And what she said about her father being the one to set up the fight between Lucy and Sorano… it just didn't seem like her father. Sure, he was never the best father, hell, he had never really even been a father, especially after her mother had died, but that didn't make him malicious. He wouldn't purposely put his daughter in harm's way—he had moved her across the damn country, for Mavis sake!

"Mira," Lucy began, slowly, carefully, "can I ask you something?" She watched the other woman's reactions closely, looking for signs of deceit.

"Of course!" Mira beamed, but the smile didn't exactly reach her eyes.

"Remember that first day, when my father brought me to your home?" she asked, then gave a light laugh that she hoped sounded convincing. "And he told you to make sure I brushed my teeth every night, and not to let me eat too much cake, because it's bad for your teeth?"

Mira giggled and nodded enthusiastically. Lucy kept the grin fixed on her face, blinking every couple seconds so Mira wouldn't notice that it was totally false.

"Of course!" she said again. "Jude is such a funny man! Always concerned about his daughter. It's adorable!"

"Adorable!" Lucy agreed, nodding with feigned enthusiasm, though inside she might have just died a little. That was all the confirmation she'd needed. Sure, this woman had done a damned good job at mimicking Mira's tone and actions, and clearly she had done her research on the two of them before—before what? Before taking on Mira's form? But, how? Was that even possible? How the hell did she keep running into wizards in this place?! It was supposed to be safe here!

"Has he called to check on me yet today?" Lucy asked, stalling for time. She had no idea what the hell to do with this information. How was she supposed to react? Call her out on her farse? Go along with it in hopes that she didn't notice Lucy had obviously figured it out?

"I was out all day, I'm afraid…" the Mira look-alike told her sadly. "If he called, I'm sure he left a message!"

 _This has to be a dream_ , Lucy thought, panic starting to well up inside of her. _Not the part with Raven Tail, or the part with the cornfield,_ this _is the dream_. This _isn't real! Wake up, Lucy! Wake the hell up!_

"You look alarmed," the other woman commented, blue eyes searching her face for something.

Deception?

"I'm just, you know, not feeling so well." Lucy coughed to emphasize this point, but she had never been a very good actress, and the Mira lookalike frowned. Lucy gave a nervous giggle. "Um…"

"You aren't nearly as idiotic as they claim,"

"Huh?!"

Mira's eyes suddenly grew darker, then gleamed a blood red color that Lucy instantly recognized. She squeaked and jumped to her feet, backing away as Mira's form shifted to a man with dual-colored hair and a smirk painted on plum lips.

"Midnight!" she exclaimed, terror making her body shake of its own accord. He leered down at her from his greater height, face twisted with something sinister that had Lucy backing up to get away from it.

 _I'm such a coward!_ She cried inside her head. _Get it together, Lucy. You can fight this. It's just another one of his illusions. Figure it out!_

"Don't think too hard, fly," Midnight sneered down at her, slowly advancing on her as she backed away. His hands were stuffed casually in his pockets, like the two of them were just having a chat. "You're gonna hurt your little brain."

Lucy bared her teeth in a silent growl, to which Midnight replied with an unconcerned smirk.

Lucy tried to think of what to do to get out of this situation, but her mind was running blank. She already tried to defeat this man, and all it had done was make everything worse.

 _Or, had it…_

Lucy suddenly stopped backing away and stood her ground, a smile slowly working its way onto her face. Midnight arched an eyebrow at her and stopped advancing as well, waiting to see what she would do next.

"You can't control everything," she said confidently. "This is just another one of your stupid illusions, like the Raven Tail castle, like the cornfield. You can't use real magic at all, can you?" Her tone was mocking, and the red-eyed man glared down at her, clearly unamused by her accusation.

"You don't know what real magic looks like, hussy."

Her mouth fell open. Well, that was an offensive comment.

She quickly closed it and put her hands to her hips. "I think I have a pretty good idea," she said, then, "Star Dress: Leo!"

"Star Dress?" Midnight repeated in astonishment, as Lucy's body glowed briefly, the ivory blouse and shorts she'd "acquired' from the Raven Tail mansion changing into a black dress with a long slit up the side that showed off one of her long legs. A gold sash went around her waist and small black heels adorned her feet. The dress was shoulderless with sleeves that came from her upper arms to just above her wrists. Her hair had also changed, now being pulled up into a bun with bangs hanging low to accentuate her face.

"That's right, bastard!" She held up a hand, which glowed with a bright golden light. "Regulus!" She shouted, and the ball of gold shot forward and blasted right into Midnight's chest, illuminating his shocked features. He went flying back and through the wall of the strange room, and when he landed on the other side, the room dematerialized around them.

Lucy stood there, panting as the exhaustion from using that difficult of a spell weighed down upon her, pulling her body down like something physical resting on her shoulders, and forcing her to her knees in the wet grass.

 _Wait, grass?_

She glanced up. Midnight was nowhere in sight, but neither was the strange room, or the cornfield, or the Raven Tail mansion. She was, however, exactly where she had started, the very place where she and the others had found the Raven Tail mansion to begin with, minus the actual mansion.

"Strange…" she murmured to herself.

"What's strange," came a disapproving voice from behind her, "is that you feel the need to lie there naked."

 _Whaaat_? Lucy glanced down and noticed that her Star Dress had disappeared… along with her regular clothes.

"Ah!" She jumped up and tried to cover herself, turning around to face the scarlet-haired woman who glared over at her, shaking her head in obvious disapproval, like Lucy had purposely decided to be naked.

"Geez, Lucy, ever heard of being discrete?" asked a half-clothed Gray.

"Seriously?" she deadpanned, gesturing at the shirtless wizard with a bob of her head. He looked down and went red in the face. As he turned to fetch his shirt, something occurred to Lucy."Wait, where's Natsu?" She couldn't see him standing with the others.

"Right here, Luce." Something draped over her shoulders, and she glanced back in surprise to see Natsu wearing a sheepish grin. "Hiya, Luce!"

The garment in question was Natsu's white t-shirt. He was now standing shirtless at her shoulder, but, thankfully, the shirt hung low enough to cover the tops of her thighs, if only barely. She gratefully slipped her arms through the sleeves.

"Just don't bend over," he suggested with a wry grin. At her scowl, he hastily said, "I-I didn't look! Honest!" She arched an eyebrow but decided it wasn't worth fighting over.

"Where are we?" she asked, even though she had a pretty good idea.

"This is where Flare's trail ended," Natsu told her, looking behind him where the Raven Tail mansion had been. "But it disappeared all of a sudden…"

"Yes," Erza appeared thoughtful. "It was most sudden. We were standing in the cornfield when Lucy did that spell. Then she disappeared, and not a moment later we all woke up right here, as if from a dream."

"That soon?" Lucy asked, frowning. She had spent at least a good hour with Mira-no, Midnight, before she somehow managed to beat him. Well, he was most certainly not defeated, but for now, at least, they were safe, relatively speaking.

"It was Lucy," Natsu poked her cheek, and gave her a cheeky grin.

"How do you know?" Lucy asked, blinking in shock at his confident statement.

"Because, I sensed your magic energy all the way through that stupid wall of illusion." He rolled his eyes at this last part, then quirked her another grin. "Didn't expect you to be naked, though."

"H-Hey!" she exclaimed, folding her arms over her chest again. "You said you didn't look!"

"Well, not on purpose…" he shrugged, and she had half a mind to Lucy-Kick him, but that would only give him another show underneath of the very short top she wore…

"Well, anyway, what do we do now?" she asked Erza, who seemed to be the leader of this little group.

"Hm. I suppose we go home and get some rest."

"Wait, seriously?" Lucy gaped at the redhead who did, indeed, look very serious.

"Yes, seriously. We need to get some rest and regroup later on," she yawned and stretched her arms over her head as if to emphasize her point, "though, you are more than welcome to join us back at the base if you'd like, Lucy. I'm sure some of my things would fit you."

"Is it safe to go home?" she asked uneasily, glancing around at the quiet streets around them. They looked deserted, and the moon was still high in the sky, making Lucy wonder what time it was and, more importantly, how much time had passed since they started this suicide mission.

"I think the immediate threat is gone," Erza confirmed with a nod. "I doubt Midnight will be back anytime soon. We should have time to rest and get back to our normal lives."

"What?!" Lucy exclaimed again. "We can't just go back to school and studying! We have a crazed lunatic trying to kill us all!"

"If his intentions had been to annihilate us," a new voice came from behind them, "then we'd all be dead."

"Jellal!" Came the collective shout, well, except for Erza, who didn't look surprised in the least.

"What took you so long?" she asked in disapproval. They all sweatdropped, well, save Jellal, who quirked her a grin.

"Sorry, baby," he replied. "I had to take care of a few… loose ends."

The way he said that made Lucy's skin crawl. What did he mean "loose ends?"

"Well, now that we're all together, let's get going." Erza suggested. "Natsu, take Lucy home, then meet us back at Base."

"Aye, sir!" he replied with a mock-salute.

"Gray, Jellal, you'll come with me. I have a few things that I need your assistance with."

"Yeah?" Gray asked with a furrowed brow. "Like what? I thought we were going back to rest?"

"Not until my cake has been properly frosted and decorated!" she replied adamantly. Gray's jaw dropped, but Jellal licked his lips, like the very prospect made his mouth water. Natsu looked like he was grateful to be sent with Lucy, and inched closer to her as if afraid the redhead would suddenly decide she needed his help as well.

"We shall all reconvene tomorrow at lunch!" She pumped her fist in the air, then turned and started in the direction of Home Base.

"Well…" Natsu said once the others were a fair distance away. "Shall we?" He raised an eyebrow, then tentatively held out a hand to the blonde, cheeks painted a faint pink. Lucy smiled and rested her hand in his.

"Let's go."

* * *

 **A/N: Loooooong time, no see! I am SO sorry! I know you all have been patiently (or perhaps not so patiently) awaiting the next update. At least I wasn't two weeks late, props for that? XD Anyway... so the team has been reunited and the Big Bad has been, temporarily, defeated. Yay for them! *Throws confetti***

 **So, maybe it's mean, but I had to do the whole "Lucy gets accidentally naked" thing. Cliche, maybe, but, as I always say, a cliche only is because it still works. And, sorry, Lucy, but your nudity makes people laugh. My most humble apologies!**

 **What do you guys think of this chapter? Again, chapter title provided by the darling _Katie Dragneel_ , who never ceases to amaze me with how damn efficient she is. Really. But, don't get any funny ideas, I'm keeping her around. I have a special project in line for her to work on, that I know you are all going to just salivate over *dramatic wink* **

**Tell you what, I've been trying to keep this little project of mine under wraps, BUT, since I love you all SO MUCH, and you've all been extra patient and amazing, I'll make you a deal: If you guys give me eight or more reviews for this chapter, I'll give you a sneak peek of the new story I've been working on. What do you think? Does that sound like a good deal? You know you wanna know this super secret story *wink, wink* **

**Alright, I'll leave it up to you. Eight or more reviews gives you a sneak peek, so get those fingers typing, and I'll see you for my next update! *blows kisses***

 **—Stele**

* * *

SHOUT OUT CORNER!

 ** _Moon Stone Tiger Lily_ : Does that clear some things up?**

 ** _Grizzly98_ : Grizz, if I give you all the answers at once, no one will come back to read more! Keeping you all in suspense is part of my evil plan XD**

 ** _Bluepancakes432_ : Haha, sorry... I know, it's mean to have so many cliffhangers, and most of the time it's not a purposeful thing, it just so happens that that makes a good place to end the chapter. **

**_authorshateus_ : *Wink* sorry! Was that a better place to end? It's LESS cliffhanger-y! XD**

 ** _ashcator2002_ : Hehe, nice and sharp, good to know! I have literally no patience when it comes to updates of other people's stories, so I know how it feels! Many apologies!**

 ** _Fairy Tail 4lyf_ : Ooh, yes, "Fairy Tail for life!" *Three cheers!* Anyway, THAT happened. XD**

 ** _Celestic1234_ : Yay, you're back! I missed seeing your comments! XD And very well spotted, she was acting super suspicious. Tsk, tsk, Lucy, gotta pay better attention.**

 ** _FairyTailxFanGirl_ : Well, you didn't have to wait long! XD New update for your reading pleasure! *Bows grandly***


	16. Back to Reality

**Fairy Tail High**

 **Chapter 16: Back to Reality**

 **By: xSteleAliniax**

* * *

The walk was relatively silent, as they each had a lot on their minds, but it was a comfortable sort of silence that felt right somehow.

When they reached her front door, Lucy hesitated on the doorstep, clutching Natsu's hand tightly in hers.

"What's up, Luce?" He asked, catching onto her anxiety from the sudden rigid posture and the slight shake of her form. "Are you afraid to go inside?"

"Kind of…" she admitted, turning a small smile his way. "I mean, what if Mi-um, my aunt Mira still isn't home? And what if that guy comes back? Or Flare? Or—"

"Don't be afraid," Natsu cut her off, squeezing her hand in reassurance. "I'll go in with you if you want? I can stay over, and make sure you're safe!" He puffed his chest out—his _bare_ chest—and took on a determined expression.

Once she got over the shock of seeing _all those abs_ pushed out before her, Lucy giggled and nodded, finally moving to push open the door.

Nothing jumped out at them as they stood in the doorway, looking and listening.

"I don't smell anything besides you," Natsu commented a moment later.

 _And smelling, apparently._

At her bewildered expression, Natsu gave a hasty reply. "I-I mean your scent! There aren't any other scents here but yours. Your scent is old, too, but not as old as it should be for as long as we were gone…" he trailed off, frowning in thought.

"You don't pick up my aunt's scent at all?" She asked.

"Nope," he clarified. "But I also don't pick up on anyone strange, so I'd say it's safe to go in."

"Well, that's a relief, somewhat." She murmured, then stepped inside the rest of the way and closed the door behind her, locking it up tight.

They stood there, somewhat awkwardly, for a few more moments.

"Um, I should probably put some clothes on," she muttered, suddenly feeling self-conscious just standing there in Natsu's t-shirt and nothing else.

His cheeks flamed bright red. "Uh, right! I'll…. uh, make some tea." He decided, then took off for the kitchen.

Lucy bounded up the stairs, taking them two at a time in her haste to put some real clothing on. Not that his t-shirt wasn't comfortable, actually, it was nearly as soft as some of the silk gowns she had back home.

With a smirk, she decided to keep the shirt on, and simply pulled on a pair of underwear and some small shorts before rushing back downstairs. In her rush, she almost ran into Natsu, who had just stepped into the doorway of her bedroom. They collided with an "ooph!"

"Ow!" she rubbed the spot on her head that had connected with his rock-hard abs. "That one hurt…" she trailed off at the sudden intense gaze Natsu wore, and the fact that his arms were still held tightly about her.

"S-Sorry," he stumbled out in a whisper.

"What are you doing up here?" Lucy asked, just as quietly. _Geez, his arms are so warm…_

"I… came to check on you," he explained. "I was worried something might happen… Did I interrupt you mid-change?" He tugged at the white t-shirt she still wore, making her realize just how thin it was…

"Um… no," she replied as confidently as she could. "I like the shirt."

A smile slowly lifted up his lips. "Keep it," he said, still pulling at the shirt, fingers lightly brushing her skin as he did. "It looks better on you anyway." He winked, and she rolled her eyes, pulling out of his hold before things got too serious.

"Is the tea done yet?" she asked, taking his hand and pulling him down the stairs with her.

"Yup!"

When they reached the kitchen, Lucy found a pot already filled with water and sitting on the table with cups and saucers.

"Um, I didn't know where the tea bags were…" he admitted sheepishly, scratching the back of his head with his free hand.

Lucy turned a smile his way.

"Don't worry about it. Have a seat!" She gestured at the small kitchen table, then turned to the cabinet where the different teas were kept. "What kind of tea do you like?"

"Whatever," he answered dismissively.

She nodded without looking back and pulled out three different boxes, setting them all on the table next to the pot and cups.

"Orange Dream?" He asked, picking up the box and eyeing it more closely. "What the hell is that?"

Lucy snorted. "I don't know, Mira always picks that one. She mixes it with Earl Gray." She added with an eye roll. Natsu scrunched up his nose.

"That doesn't sound like a very good combination." Even after saying that, Natsu grabbed a packet of each and plopped them into his cup before adding some water.

Lucy giggled. "I thought you said it didn't sound good?"

"Oh, it sounds terrible," he confirmed, adding sugar right on top of the tea bags. "But most things that sound bad are either really good or really bad."

"You could say that about anything," she pointed out. "It just depends on the person."

"True," he smiled at her. "Still, if your aunt likes it then it's probably for good reason."

"I guess," she shrugged, but added her own Cherry Blossom flavor, letting the bag soak before placing it on an empty saucer and adding sugar. "I'm a little worried that Mira hasn't come back yet." She admitted a few moments later.

"She's fine, Luce," Natsu assured her, sounding confident. "I know it," he grinned cheekily at her.

She laughed. "Yeah, you're probably right. Still…" Lucy looked away, feeling a sudden embarrassment start to sweep over her and color her cheeks red.

"Still...?" he prompted.

Lucy sighed, though she didn't look up. "I just… I'm a little nervous about staying here alone with a bunch of lunatics on the loose…" She let the words trail off, hoping he would catch on to the unspoken question.

"Ah, don't worry, Lucy, I'll protect you!"

She turned back to him, his face was determined. She smiled.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"So… are we gonna cuddle or…?"

She narrowed her eyes and chucked her teaspoon at him. "Pervert!"

He held his hands up in surrender, chuckling softly. "Kidding, kidding. I won't touch you."

"Who said you're sleeping in _my_ bed?" she demanded, eyes still narrowed.

"I'll be good," he grinned hugely.

She rolled her eyes. "Sleep on the couch so you can watch the door in case of crazies."

"What if one of them climbs in through your bedroom window?" he countered. She opened her mouth to fault this logic, but couldn't think of anything. Finally, she sighed.

"Fine, but touch me and die." She warned.

"Aye, sir!"

…

That night, Lucy was plagued with nightmares, lying awake trembling more often than not. A few times Natsu had to shake her awake because the nightmares had her crying out in fear. Once she woke up cradled against his chest, his _bare_ chest, mind you. She didn't know if she had sought him out for safety, or if he had pulled her into his arms when she was having another nightmare, but whatever the case she decided to just let it be and went back to sleep.

She didn't have another nightmare after that.

Now, she was in her bathroom, pulling on a pair of black leggings under a dark purple skirt and matching top; the shirt had black flowers outlined in metallic silver ink, and once the leggings were pulled on, she paired them with some black boots.

Satisfied, she opened the bathroom door to find Natsu still sprawled out on her bed, fast asleep. She rolled her eyes and continued getting ready— _for school._ Because going back to school the day after you almost get killed in a magical illusion apparently wasn't that weird.

She had just finished pulling her hair up into a half-side ponytail and was now adding a small black bow to the top when Natsu finally came shuffling into the bathroom.

"Good morning, Sleeping Beauty." She teased, grinning at him as he came in, still looking half-asleep.

"S'not morning," he grumbled, then pressed his forehead against the wall as if unable to stand any longer. Lucy giggled.

"You can shower if you want, but I don't have anything to give you to wear…" She shrugged helplessly. "But there are extra towels and lots of soap, though it might smell a little girly… I think it's floral scented." She added apologetically.

"Shower sounds nice," he mumbled but made no move toward it.

Lucy rolled her eyes. "Hurry up, or we'll be late. And you don't want Erza to find out you were late for class, do you…?"

His head shot up at once. "No, that woman scares me." He shuddered, and Lucy laughed before leaving the bathroom and closing the door behind her.

…

Once they were back at school they finally parted ways, though reluctantly so, as Lucy was still fearful that someone might try and strike them down, even at school. They promised to meet up in Bio, and Lucy headed off to her Algebra II class, giddy to see Levy again, despite her nervousness.

"Hey, Lu!" Levy waved when she sat next to her. "How was your evening?"

 _Evening?_ Had no time passed at all when they were gone? It had felt like days to her, but maybe that had been part of the illusion as well.

She gave some semblance of a smile. "Um, it was… interesting!" That was true, though she hoped her friend didn't ask her to elaborate.

"I heard you and Natsu came to school together!" Levy gushed in a stage whisper. Lucy frowned at her textbook. Seriously? How had Levy found out about that already?

"I heard she was with him all night," came a voice from the seat in front of her.

Lucy looked up in shock, then gaped at the person sitting there.

" _Gray?_ Since when are you in this class?"

"Since always," he shrugged. "So, is it true? Flame Brain didn't come back last night. I assume that was your doing?" He raised an eyebrow, and Lucy flushed bright red.

"D-Don't say it like that! It makes it sound bad! It wasn't like that!" She insisted.

"Sure, it wasn't," Gray said, though it was obvious he didn't really believe her. "Anyway, you're sitting with us at lunch today, right?"

Lucy blinked, confused for a moment. "Uh, yeah, why?"

"Erza wants to talk to all of us." He explained.

Lucy nodded. "I'll be there."

"Who is _that_?" Levy whispered in Lucy's ear once Gray had his back turned.

"Gray," she whispered back. Levy rolled her green eyes.

"I know _that,_ but is he a friend of yours now?"

Lucy thought about that for a moment, then shrugged. "I don't know."

"You're part of the popular crowd now!" Levy giggled quietly. "You're so lucky!"

Lucy didn't feel lucky, in fact, she felt particularly _un_ lucky.

"Alright, class. Let's see who did their homework last night."

Lucy turned to the front of the room to see their teacher, Mr. Conbolt, smiling evilly at them, as if _hoping_ no one had done the homework. She wondered what kind of torture he had planned for those who hadn't...

Lucy shrunk lower in her seat and swallowed the lump in her throat. She definitely hadn't done any homework—at all. Maybe she should have just stayed home today…

"Come on, children," Mr. Conbolt gestured with an impatient hand toward his desk, still wearing that evil smirk. "Come place your papers in my Basket of Fun."

 _Basket of Fun? Seriously?_

"Don't look so panicked, Lucy," Levy whispered as she rose from her seat. "Maybe Mr. Conbolt won't notice…"

"Yeah," Gray snorted, making no moves to turn in his own homework. "If you stop acting so suspicious."

Lucy glowered at the back of his head. Gray sat with his hands behind his head, looking perfectly at ease in his seat. His posture reminded her of Natsu, and how he didn't seem to care much about school work, either.

"Mr. Fullbuster," the teacher called, eyeing Gray with narrowed eyes. "Do you have something to turn in?"

"Nope," he answered without hesitation.

"And why not?" Mr. Conbolt asked, raising an eyebrow and folding his arms across his chest.

"I was busy last night. Didn't have time to finish it."

Mr. Conbolt's eyes narrowed even further. "Oh? Do tell us, Mr. Fullbuster, what was so much more important for you to do than finish your Algebra assignment?"

"I had to take my friend to the emergency room," Gray said evenly. "She got into a terrible accident."

"Which friend would that be?" Mr. Conbolt asked suspiciously.

Gray jabbed a finger over his shoulder—right at Lucy.

"Lucy."

Lucy's eyes went wide and she sunk even lower into her seat as the teacher's eyes zeroed in on her next.

"Oh?" he asked, voice laced with sarcasm, even in that one word. "Is that true, Ms. Diamond?"

Lucy started to correct him, but then remembered her father had changed her last name to Diamond to make her harder to trace.

"Um…" she started, feeling embarrassed and not really sure why. "Yes?"

"And what was this big accident?" Mr. Conbolt asked.

"I… fell," she answered lamely, then remembered something. "On something. Cut my arm." She lifted her sleeve to show where she had been cut whilst fighting Natsu's sister. Technically, not a lie.

Mr. Conbolt blinked in surprise, clearly not having expected that. "Well," he cleared his throat. "I suppose the two of you may be excused from homework this once." he allowed. "But, you had both better have that done by next class."

With that warning, he left the two of them alone and began his lesson.

...

Levy ushered her out the moment class was dismissed.

"I had no idea you were in an accident last night!" She exclaimed, looking Lucy over from head to toe as if looking for more injuries. "Are you okay? Should you even be in school today?"

 _Probably not,_ she thought.

Aloud she said, "Oh, I'm fine! Don't worry! It's just a little cut." _That hurts like hell._

"That's a relief," Levy smiled. "Well, if you need help with your homework, just let me know during study hall, alright? I'll see you in English, Lu!"

Lucy waved as Levy took off down the hall.

"You're welcome,"

Lucy turned to see Gray standing beside her, staring off in the opposite direction, hands stuffed in the pockets of his blue jeans.

"Oh, yeah, thanks for that." She said, offering him a smile, but he kept his face turned away from her. She let the smile fall. "Is something wrong?"

"Not really," he sighed. "I don't know."

"Do… you want to talk about it?" she offered, though she had no idea what could be wrong with him, nor did she know how to help. They weren't exactly friends, and she didn't know all that much about him, but if he needed someone to talk to then she could at least listen.

"Nah," he finally turned to her, a wan smile on his lips. "Don't worry about it. I'll see you at lunch, okay?"

She nodded, and he left to go to his next class. That left her standing in the middle of the hall while kids flooded out of classrooms and pushed by her. A quick look at the clock on the wall told her she had now had two minutes to make it to her next class.

"Ah, crap!" She hurried through the crowd of students, willing the time not to change before she got there.

When she turned the corner into the hallway where her Biology class was, she saw Natsu waiting there by the door. She smiled and hurried over to him, surprising both of them by throwing her arms around him in a tight embrace.

"Whoa, Luce," he chuckled as he stumbled back a step. "Did ya miss me that much?"

"Maybe a little," she grinned up at him. It was just nice to see him again. They were back in school, which still seemed surreal to her, but they were all safe—for now.

Her smile fell when she remembered something.

"What?" Natsu asked, noticing the slight change. "Are you okay?"

"Natsu, what if that's not Mr. Col?" She gestured at the classroom door just to the side of them.

Natsu frowned. "What do you mean? Like, what if there's a sub?"

Lucy shook her head. "No, what if it's like when I walked through that door that took me into Mr. Col's class, but it wasn't really him—it was Raven Tail's master." She was starting to feel panicked, remembering the terrifying moment she had realized that her teacher wasn't really who he appeared to be. What if that part hadn't been an illusion, but a vision of sorts?

That didn't explain how strange Natsu had acted during that time, though…

"Lucy," Natsu placed a hand on her cheek, and the gentle touch was enough to distract her from her anxiety, at least for a moment. She shifted her gaze back to his, taking in those deep green eyes. "Don't worry about anything, not when you have me and the other's watching your back. I promise, nothing bad will happen to you."

She smiled, already feeling more at ease. "Thank you," she whispered, and the pair walked into class, hand-in-hand.

* * *

 **A/N: Alright, my awesomely amazing readers! You all have certainly earned a sneak peek to my newest story. TEN reviews for chapter fifteen, you guys are awesome! Really, truly awesome. Plus, FTH is up to 150 followers now. That is incredible! I hope all of you follow the new story I plan on dropping as well. I think you will really like it!**

 **And, without further ado, here is the sneak peek:**

 **—** Lucy is the Queen of the Fairy Tail vampire coven—the strongest, most feared coven among vampire kind. However, there is another coven that is trying to take their place and rule over Fiore. Natsu is a human prisoner of this coven and detests vampires. What twist of fate brings these two together, and will they ever be able to look past their prejudices and form a relationship? **—**

 **Voìla! That is the summary for my upcoming fic titled "Twist of Fate." It is a vampire AU and will be done completely in first-person, with alternating chapters between Lucy and Natsu. What do you guys think? Do you think you'll like it? Let me know your thoughts! And, of course, let me know what you thought of this chapter!**

 **Bye for now!**

 **—Stele**

* * *

SHOUT-OUT CORNER:

 _ **FairyTailxFanGirl**_ : Yeah! I think her celestial outfits are really interesting! And this seemed like the perfect opportunity to use one! And, yeah, her reactions crack me up! XD

 _ **ThayetJade**_ : Aww, really? Thanks! I love when someone compliments my writing style! I work really hard on these stories, I'm glad you like them! And I hope you like the blurb! Of course, it's Fairy Tail XD I may or may not ever start writing other fandoms, but for now, I am satisfied with Fairy Tail. There are lots to do with it!

 ** _Mutt7_** : Lmao, not a sex joke! Just Erza being Erza! She's a little weird! XD

 ** _PenguinLady202_** : Thank you! I'm so glad you found this one!

 _ **Bluepancakes432**_ : An update on time this week! XD And no cliffhanger!

 ** _Compucles_** : Lmao, oops, should have known better, Lucy! Better listen to the readers next time before taking clothes from an illusionary castle! Hahaha

 ** _Grizzly98_** : Where do I even start with you, Grizz? *Rolls eyes* I'm pretty sure you've gotten like five chapters since your comment, for one, and two... I actually don't remember what you wanted spoiled for, honestly hehe, so... text me and ask me yourself! XD

 ** _Celestic1234_** : School! Ugh! Homework that has not been done! Hahaha. Btw, hope you like the sneak peek! XD

 ** _authorshateus_** : I hope you do! And I hope you enjoy it as much, if not more, than this one! XD

 ** _Treblemkr_** : Aw, yay! I'm glad you found this story and are really liking it! Welcome! I love new readers! XD In regards to your questions: all will be revealed in due time. *wink* just come along for the ride and see where this journey takes you!

* * *

 **PS: For those of you who REALLY want another sneak peek for my new story, let me know in the comments and I MAY allow a small sneak peek from a chapter for you. Maybe. Depends on how many of you actually want one, and if I can find a suitable sneak peek that doesn't give anything away.**


	17. Lying Low

**Fairy Tail High**

 **Chapter 17: Lying Low**

 **By: xSteleAliniax**

 **Beta'd By: _Katie Dragneel_**

* * *

After another grueling lesson in Biology, Lucy sat with Natsu, Gray, Erza, and Jellal at their lunchroom table, waiting to hear what Erza had to say. The mood was somber and quiet and no one ate from the trays that sat in front of them. Lucy was hunched over her math homework, Jellal looked to be grading another paper, Gray kept popping ice into his mouth, Natsu was just sitting back in his chair, looking bored, and Erza was frowning, glancing between all of them.

Finally, the redhead sighed, which caught everyone's attention. "I think our best option is to lie low for awhile," she said at last.

Gray's eyes went wide. "Seriously?"

"You don't want us to do _anything_?" Natsu scoffed. "Come on, let's go after them!"

"And how do you propose we do that, Natsu?" She turned on him, raising an eyebrow.

"We are not even positive whom we are up against," Jellal added, black glasses resting on the edge of his nose.

"Was Raven Tail even involved at all?" Lucy asked, abandoning her homework for now. "I mean, if that entire castle had been an illusion, then maybe our encounter with Flare had just been an illusion as well?"

"Perhaps," Erza agreed slowly, "but we can't be certain of anything. Midnight was responsible for the castle, that much we know, but as for Flare…"

"She could be another threat altogether," Lucy finished.

"Exactly," Jellal nodded. "Perhaps we should all stay at Base while we figure all of the details out. It isn't safe out there all alone." His eyes fell on Lucy, making her pale at the words.

"I think Flame Brain has that one covered," Gray remarked, smirking. Lucy flushed bright red, but Natsu frowned in confusion.

"What do you mean by that, Ice Princess?" He snapped in reply.

"Only that you were at her house all night, alone," Gray retorted.

"It wasn't like that!" Natsu and Lucy insisted simultaneously.

"It doesn't matter!" Erza snapped them all back to attention. "Everyone should stay at Base, as Jellal suggested, until this threat has been eliminated."

"But, my aunt—" Lucy started.

"We will make sure she knows you're safe with friends," Erza cut in, not unkindly.

"No, that's not what I meant. My aunt has been missing since the day Natsu and I ran into Flare."

"Seriously?" Gray asked.

"That is not good…" Erza replied, frowning.

"I don't know what happened to her," Lucy added, feeling a little sick at the thought. What if Mira got into some kind of trouble? Lucy would have no way of— "Wait, is there such a thing as a tracking spell?" She asked in a hushed tone, recalling the fake Mira's words.

"There is," Jellal answered slowly, "but they are mostly unheard of, and difficult to master."

"Can you do one on my aunt?" Lucy asked him, eyes turning hopeful.

"I could certainly attempt it," he offered gallantly.

"Really?" Lucy's eyes lit up.

"We will go by your house this evening," Erza proclaimed.

"Wait, why are we going to _my_ house?" Lucy asked with a frown. It wasn't that she particularly cared whose house the group went to, though as far as she could tell none of them actually had a house, they all simply shared their 'base', but she wondered why hers was the first option.

"It will be easier to do the tracking spell on your aunt if we are in the last place she was seen," Jellal explained.

Lucy nodded. That made sense, she supposed. She hoped the spell worked because she was really starting to worry about the woman. She hadn't known her for that long, but in the short time they had known each other Lucy had grown close to her. Mira was one of those rare good people.

"Thank you," she said to the others. Jellal and Erza nodded in acknowledgement, Gray gave her a small smile, and Natsu reached out and clasped her hand in his, giving it a reassuring squeeze. He turned a huge grin her way that she couldn't help but return.

…

"Alright, class, who wants to go first?" Mrs. Reid addressed the class with a tired gaze as she waited for someone to volunteer.

Lucy sat with Levy sat in their English class, but so far she had only been paying half attention to the lesson. She was too distracted thinking about Mira and the spell they would attempt later this evening to worry about something as trivial as English class.

"No one?" Mrs. Reid asked, sounding only slightly disappointed. She was back to wearing her neat, teacher attire. No more sweats and messy bun.

"Go first for what?" Lucy asked Levy when the teacher's eyes weren't on them.

"Read the essay she gave us to write for homework," Levy told her, frowning. "Did you do it?"

Lucy paled. No. She hadn't done any homework at all, in fact. She slumped in her seat, hoping the teacher wouldn't call on her.

Levy gave her a pitying look, then turned back to the front of the class. After a moment of thought, she lifted her hand into the air.

"I'll go, Mrs. Reid."

"Excellent, Levy. Your essay's are always a pleasure to read. Come on up,"

She sat back in her chair, then gestured for Levy to come to the front.

Levy gulped, looking thoroughly terrified. Lucy furrowed her brow. Was Levy afraid to speak in front of the class?

The bluenette opened an orange folder marked "English" and pulled out a neatly printed sheet of paper. She took a deep breath, then slid out of her desk and walked to the front of the room, paper shaking in her hands.

 _Poor thing,_ Lucy thought as her friend turned to face the class, looking pale as a sheet with fear.

"Go on, Ms. McGarden," Mrs. Reid urged, waving an impatient hand toward her.

Levy visibly gulped, then began to recite an essay on _Dante's Inferno_ , which Lucy thought was a strange topic for an English paper and wondered when they had discussed this topic. Maybe she had been gone longer than she'd thought. But then, Levy had acted as if no time had passed at all…

"Jellal," Lucy whispered, poking the back of his head to get his attention. He, too, was in their English class, something she hadn't noticed the last two days. She was particularly unobservant lately.

He tilted his head slightly, indicating that he was listening, while still keeping his gaze locked up front.

"Do you know how long we've been gone?"

He shrugged. "Not that long," he murmured back. "Mrs. Reid just gave us this essay last week."

Last week. That explained why Lucy hadn't known about it. She breathed a sigh of relief and sat back in her seat. When she did, she noticed Mrs. Reid looking her way, expression unreadable. She gave a sheepish smile and focused back on Levy.

The story she told was of the final circle of _Dante's Inferno_. Or rather, a made up circle in which cannibalists resided. It was horrifically detailed, and made Lucy's stomach churn just listening to it.

 _No wonder she didn't want to read it aloud,_ she thought, waiting for the torture to be over. How many more essays would they have to go through today? Maybe if Levy continued to stumble over her words like she was, they wouldn't have time to do anymore.

"Um, so, that's what my final circle of hell would look like," Levy concluded, then quickly made her way back to her seat.

"Well," Mrs. Reid scratched the back of her head. "That was certainly… detailed." She said. "Who's next?"

…

"That was awful," Levy whined when the two finally left the classroom. Five people had gone after Levy, all with differing degrees of enthusiasm. Some had clearly put a lot of thought into their essays and seemed excited about doing such a grotesque topic.

Lucy tried to tune it all out, which wasn't difficult with all she had going on in her mind just then, but she still heard the majority of the things her classmates wrote. And after class, Mrs. Reid had explained to her that she'd need to do an essay of her own for _Dante's Inferno_ , which she was already dreading.

"I'm sorry," Lucy gave her an apologetic smile. "But, thank you, I had a bad feeling she was going to call on me."

"She would have understood that you hadn't even been here that long," Levy assured her. "She's a decent teacher. Did she say whether you had to write one or not?"

"Yeah," Lucy groaned. "By next Monday."

"Wow, that's harsh, considering all the other homework you have this week." Levy commented, as the two neared her locker.

 _You have no idea,_ Lucy thought.

Aloud she said, "That is the truth. Well, I'd better get to my next class. See you later, Levy!"

"Bye, Lu!"

They waved goodbye, and Lucy headed off to her next class.

…

Lucy stood in front of the gym doors, trying to convince herself to go inside when all her instincts screamed at her to just leave and run home. Who needed gym anyway? She had just gone through _days_ of extensive magic and physical torture! Surely that excused her from gym for this one day?

"Luce!'

Lucy spun around, eyes going wide at the sight of Natsu jogging up to her, with Erza, Jellal and Gray in tow. Did they all just audit her classes or something? Why were they in _all_ of her classes?

"That was very kind of you to wait for us," Erza noted when they reached her.

Lucy just stared, unable to form a coherent thought.

"You look kinda pale," Natsu commented, frowning at her. "Did ya get scared or something?"

"Wha-no!" She shook her head to shake off the surprise. "I was just… surprised to see you all here…"

"Oh, yeah, we kinda ditch on Tuesday's." Natsu gave a sheepish grin and scratched the back of his head.

Lucy blinked in disbelief. "Ditch? Why?"

"We have better things to do." He shrugged. "You could join us." He offered.

She gave him a small smile. "Thanks, but I should be at this school at least a month before I start skipping classes." She said jokingly.

Natsu frowned. "Why? I'll talk to Gildarts for you, he won't care if you skip with us. He's kind of awesome. You know, in a scary way." He gave a shudder.

"He is a pretty tough gym teacher," Gray agreed.

"You boys are just weak!" Erza said in a chastising tone. "I don't hear Jellal complaining about Mr. Clive's class."

"That's because that blue-haired freak doesn't even _do_ anything!" Natsu countered. "He just sits there on the sidelines and reads like a nerd."

Lucy flinched. _She_ liked to read…

"I have spinal problems which prohibits any extensive physical activity." Jellal retorted dryly. Lucy coughed to hide a laugh.

Natsu scoffed. "Yeah, sure you do."

"Can we get this over with already?" Gray complained, shifting restlessly on his feet. "I'm tired."

"Oh, yeah?" Natsu's expression turned mischievous. "Bet I can do more pull-ups than you!"

"In your dreams, pyro." Gray said, then both boys turned and raced through the double doors into the gym.

Lucy sighed. "Well, I guess we better go in after them." She turned to the others, who both nodded. The threesome followed the others into the gym.

"Afternoon, ladies!" Gildarts proclaimed when they were all standing before him.

Lucy pulled at the too short maroon shorts she had been given, trying to make them cover more skin, but all that did was put them lower on her hips, which she didn't like either. The shirt she wore was gray with a maroon symbol that was Fairy Tail High's insignia, and some white sneakers she actually remembered to bring with her today.

The class had about fifty students, both male and female, all in the same unflattering gym wear. They all stood in front of the instructor, Gildarts Clive, with a volleyball net behind him that Lucy prayed was just there from another class. She had absolutely no athletic ability whatsoever. She could deliver a mean kick, sure, but sports? No.

"Who's ready for a little game?" Gildarts smiled deviously and Lucy instantly wished she had some "spinal problem" like Jellal so she wouldn't have to endure whatever torture lay ahead.

On Tuesday he had made them all run fifteen laps around the gym and then play a game of basketball that put Lucy on her back on the floor more times than not. She still had a few bruises from that.

"Ooh, this will be great!" Natsu was bouncing on his feet in excitement where he stood beside Lucy. She arched an eyebrow at him. "What? This is the only class I rock at!"

"You rocked Bio the other day." She reminded him.

He thought for a moment, then shrugged. "Eh, that was different. That lesson was all about fish!"

"Well, I like fish too but that doesn't mean I know the term 'chondrichthyes' by memory."

"Really? I thought everyone knew that." He shrugged. She gaped.

"Yo, Gildarts!" Natsu suddenly shouted from beside her, just as the tall man was about to start speaking. He raised an eyebrow in Natsu's direction. "We should start with a pull-up contest!"

Lucy groaned along with several other students, but Gildarts' smile grew.

"Alright, Natsu. A pull-up contest sounds way more fun to watch than what I had planned. Everyone! Form two lines behind Natsu and Gray."

Lines formed, and Lucy found herself right behind Natsu, because he kept a death grip on her hand, forcing her into his line. She just rolled her eyes and stayed where she was.

"Don't worry," he murmured in her ear. "You won't even have to participate. I'll kick all their asses." He winked, and she grinned, shooting him a thumbs-up.

"Good luck, Superman." She teased.

"Natsu, Gray," Gildarts held a hand up between them. They both stood in front of pull up bars with mirroring expressions of eagerness. "Begin!"

"You'll never outdo me, Frost Bite!" Natsu gibed as he pulled up on the bar effortlessly.

Likewise, the black-haired ice chewer seemed to have no effort pulling up in sync with Natsu. "We're dead even, Ash Breath." He retorted.

Lucy rolled her eyes and sighed. She watched as the two boys continued to pull up again and again. Her gaze shifted to Natsu, who's face radiated determination, abs tensing with each pull-up. She noticed only then that both boys were shirtless. She blushed, but couldn't tear her gaze away from Natsu's exposed torso.

"Are you rooting for Natsu?" Erza asked from beside her, making her jump and look away.

"No?" She didn't mean for the words to come out as a question, but she was embarrassed that she had been caught staring.

"It is a fairly even match," Erza mused, eyebrows furrowed as she watched the pair with an intense concentration. "But I think you're right to assume Natsu will win this round."

"Really?" Lucy asked, ignoring the insinuation. "Why?"

"Because Natsu has a better reason for wanting to accomplish his goal."

"Which is?"

Erza turned an amused smirk her way. "He has someone to show off for."

Lucy blushed even redder and looked away, back toward the match, which was amazingly still going on. She'd lost count how many pull-ups each boy had done, and simply waited for a victor to emerge.

In the end, Erza's theory had proven to be correct. Natsu hooted in triumph after Gray finally fell to the gym floor, huffing with exertion. Natsu jumped down, chest shiny with sweat, but otherwise he appeared unphased in the least by the grueling match.

He strode up to Lucy, a huge grin on his face.

"Well?" He asked when he reached her. "What'd you think? Am I badass or what?"

Lucy laughed. "You are," she agreed. "Good work out there."

"Thanks!" He beamed. "Now, let's get out of here while Gildarts is distracted."

Lucy frowned. "Where are we going to go?"

He grinned. "We never got our ice cream date."


	18. Three Scoops for Two

**Fairy Tail High**

 **Chapter 18: Three Scoops for Two**

 **By: xSteleAliniax**

 **Beta'd By: _Katie Dragneel_**

* * *

Lucy and Natsu stood outside of 8 Island, a small diner that was relatively close to Lucy's home. Lucy was looking up at it, noting how they used a fork in place of the 'I'.

"I feel a little bad," she told the pinkette standing at her side, holding her hand in his.

"Bad?" He echoed with a frown.

"Yeah, for ditching the others when they so graciously agreed to help me."

She sighed. She felt like a horrible person suddenly. Jellal, Erza and Gray had agreed to help her locate her missing "aunt" yet here she was, getting ice cream.

Natsu stepped in front of her and leaned down so that they were at eye level. The look in his eyes was determined, yet still managed to look soft.

"Luce, we're doing nothing wrong. They're all probably still in classes anyway. Besides…" He leaned back, looking slightly nervous now. "It's the least I can do for you."

Lucy blinked in surprise. "Natsu, you're not still down about what happened with Flare, are you? That wasn't your fault, you know."

After their museum date, Lucy and Natsu had been attacked by one of Raven Tail's worst. Flare had nearly won in that battle, beating them both up pretty badly before they were able to gain ground on her.

Eventually, she must have decided that fighting with two of them at once wasn't going to be as easy as she had originally thought, because she'd run out on them.

Natsu had felt that he was solely responsible for that encounter, since he had asked her out so late at night, then taken her through that alleyway, but Lucy hadn't for one moment put the fault on Natsu. It had either been some strange coincidence that had brought them all up against one another, or Flare had been following them. The latter was the most likely option, of course, but either way it hadn't been Natsu's fault.

"Because of me," Natsu murmured, avoiding eye contact with her, "you nearly died. Flare beat you up, then I took you to that mansion or whatever the hell it was and nearly got you killed!"

"Natsu,"

"I'll never be able to apologize enough, Lucy," he interrupted her, pinching his eyes shut. "I'll never be able to—"

Lucy threw her arms around his back and hugged him. It was a bold move, but she didn't like the way his thoughts were headed and she hoped this would distract him.

Natsu's body stiffened in surprise but he didn't pull away from the embrace. After a moment he relaxed and returned the hug, arms going around her.

"Don't think like that," she whispered into his chest. "It wasn't your fault. All of us wizards are being hunted, that's why we're here. Everything that has happened has been because Raven Tail and Midnight are purposely hunting us. You couldn't have known that we would be in danger."

"I should have protected you," he murmured. "Igneel always told me that there's no greater thing a man can do than to protect his friends and loved ones. And I failed you."

"You didn't," she insisted, hugging him tighter. "You saved me, remember? Back at the castle?"

"Actually, _you_ saved all of us, Lucy." He pointed out, referring to how she had somehow bested Midnight.

She leaned back and smiled up at him. His expression was somber, but his lips had pulled up into a small smile.

"We saved each other, then," she allowed, then pulled back and seized his hand once more. "Come on, are we going to get ice cream before Erza comes and hunts us down?"

He paled. "Ah, crap, I didn't even think of that! She's way scarier than Flare!"

Lucy laughed as the two headed inside.

"I'll protect you," she promised.

"No one can protect against that monster," he shuddered, making Lucy laugh again.

"She's not that bad," Lucy rolled her eyes good-naturedly.

"Just wait," Natsu told her, "you'll see."

"Well, hello, you two!" An auburn-haired waitress chirped as she came up to them. She beamed at the two of them. "You're such a cute couple!" She gushed, much to Lucy's embarrassment. She didn't know what she and Natsu were, but having some woman point it out so exuberantly made her cheeks heat.

"Can we get a booth?" Natsu asked, ignoring her obvious excitement.

"Of course!" The woman, whose nametag read 'Diane', led them over to a secluded booth in the back of the diner. It was the only dimly lit space in the whole place, which made Lucy roll her eyes at how obvious the woman was. "This is our best table!" She chirped, gesturing at the booth.

Lucy slid into one side, then felt Natsu slide in beside her. Her eyes widened slightly in surprise, but he just gave her a huge grin and then turned back to the waitress.

"What's your special?"

"Oh! Our special today is a three-scoop—" she began, but Natsu cut off her exuberant reply.

"We'll take one. Two spoons, extra whip cream."

Diane blinked in surprise for a moment, then shrugged and giggled. "Aw, you two are going to share! That's totes adorbs!" Hearts danced in her eyes as she regarded the pair.

"Yeah," Natsu agreed flatly. "Adorbs."

Lucy giggled as the waitress skipped away, presumably to fill their order.

"Well, she's certainly…"

"Chipper?" Natsu supplied, arching an eyebrow.

She laughed. "Yeah, I guess you could say that."

She took a moment to glance around the establishment they were currently seated in, taking note of all the booths and tables, the waitresses flitting about the room talking to customers, dressed in short skirts of orange with white frills. She found it amusing how all the staff were ladies dressed in revealing clothing. It seemed a bit of a stretch for a diner, but really didn't mind too much. The setting overall was nice and the atmosphere was light and cheerful.

"I've never been to a place like this," Lucy mused.

"Really? You've never eaten at a diner?" Natsu sounded astounded.

Lucy turned a sheepish smile his way. "Where I came from… we didn't really leave the house too much."

She did leave the house, but she certainly didn't leave her expansive property, which had been a small town in itself.

"What do you think?" He asked, gesturing around them.

She grinned. "I like it. I'm glad we came. It's nice to get away from everything, even for a little while."

"Yeah, it is," He murmured. His eyes held hers, arm draped over the back of the booth, and it wasn't until that moment that Lucy noticed just how close the two sat. Her grin slowly faded at the intense look in his green eyes. They just stared into each other's eyes, neither daring to move or even breathe in that moment.

Until their waitress broke into their moment like a bucket of ice water, making the duo jump in surprise at the sudden interruption.

"Here's your triple-scoop cotton candy explosion!" Diane exclaimed cheerily, sliding a huge dish of ice cream with three massive scoops in front of them. She gave them a dramatic wink and then skipped away to help another customer.

"Cotton candy explosion?" Lucy asked, eyeing the ice cream in front of them speculatively.

Natsu shrugged and grabbed a spoon after first passing one to Lucy. He scooped the spoon through all three flavors, a pink, a blue and a green, then stuck the heaving spoonful into his mouth.

Lucy watched as he moved the bite around in his mouth, waiting for his reaction before daring to take her own bite. He looked thoughtful as he swirled the bite around for an especially long moment. Lucy narrowed her eyes when she realized what he was doing.

"Will you just swallow already?!" She hissed at him.

He swallowed the bite, chuckled at her, then grinned widely.

She rolled her eyes at his dramatics. "Well?" She asked, gesturing at the bowl.

He ignored her, instead scooping another bite, though this one significantly smaller, then held it up to her mouth with a mischievous look.

She gave him a look that said, ' _are you serious_ '?

He grinned even wider and bounced the spoon a bit by her mouth. "Choo choo," he said. "Open wide."

"Idiot!" She shrieked at him, laughing. He repeated the motion. Lucy sighed and took the proffered bite.

"Well?" he asked, raising an eyebrow as she swirled the bite in her mouth with her tongue. The flavor combination was a bit strange, she thought, but somehow worked.

She swallowed and beamed a smile at him. "Not bad."

His face was serious as he stared into her eyes, making her smile falter once more.

"Close your eyes," he whispered.

She swallowed hard, then obeyed, closing her eyes. Her heart pounded inside her chest as she waited for what he would do. Was he about to kiss her? What would she do? Kiss him back? Did she _want_ to be kissed? She didn't know, but she certainly wasn't trying to stop him.

He shifted in the booth, then she could feel his warm breath on her face. She froze in anticipation. A second later, something cold and wet touched her nose.

She gave a shriek of surprise, her eyes popping open.

Natsu laughed, pointing a finger at her. "You've got something on your nose!"

She growled, grabbing a napkin to wipe the ice cream from her nose. "That was mean!"

"That was _funny_!" He corrected through more laughter.

She glowered, then scooped some ice cream onto her spoon and flung it at him like a catapult. His laughter died all at once as the spoonful hit him square in the forehead.

Lucy burst into laughter, more from his expression than anything else. "You're right, that was pretty funny."

"Oh, Luce, you just declared war," Natsu's expression turned downright evil as he picked up his own spoon.

Lucy shrieked as he lobbed another scoop at her, this one landing in her hair as she tried to turn away from it.

"Hey!" She sent one flying back, but he dodged it and the scoop landed on a little black-haired boy who was walking by.

Lucy and Natsu both froze as the boy turned a glare their way, pulling the ice cream from the top of his head and then sending it flying back toward them.

"Watch where you throw your food!" He exclaimed in annoyance, then stomped away.

"Sorry about him," a new voice said. "Kids these days."

Lucy and Natsu looked up into a familiar face.

"Mr. Conbolt!" Lucy exclaimed in surprise, as the man looked at them with obvious amusement.

"Macao! What's up, man?" Natsu threw a casual arm around Lucy's shoulders and flashed the other man a toothy grin. "That your boy?" He gestured with his head over where the boy sat in another booth, glaring over the top at them.

"Yup, that's my boy!" Macao declared proudly. "Yo, Romeo! Stop scowling like that! You look like your mother when you do that!"

Lucy coughed to hide a giggle, but Natsu snorted outright.

Macao sighed and shook his head when his son stuck his tongue out at him before disappearing over the side of the booth.

"He's a good boy, he's just taking the divorce a little hard," Macao explained.

Lucy felt horrible, for all of them. She didn't know much about divorce, but she knew what it was like when one parent has been lost. Maybe Romeo didn't lose a parent like she had, but it was still a loss he was going to have to deal with for the rest of his life. Lucy could relate to that.

"Ah, don't worry!" Natsu told the man. "She'll come crawling back to you! Look at you!" He gestured at him dramatically.

Macao stood up straighter and nodded. "Yeah, you're right! I'm a real catch!"

"Yeah, you are!" Natsu agreed, shooting him a thumbs-up.

"Well, I'll leave you two to your date," He winked at them. "Don't have too much fun." He snickered as he left them to join his son.

"What do you think he meant by that?" Natsu asked with a frown.

Lucy was blushing but hoped it wasn't too noticeable. "Uh, no idea!" She lied.

"Hey," he leaned close to her face, arm still wrapped around her shoulders. She froze. His eyebrows were furrowed, staring at her mouth.

 _Is he going to kiss me?! No, stop thinking about kissing! but what if he does?! What will I do? What—_

His hand came up to her face, and she thought for sure he was going to cup her face and lean in to kiss her. Instead, his thumb brushed against the corner of her mouth. When he pulled it back to show her she saw it had a tiny bit of ice cream on it.

"You had something on your mouth," he said, eyes shifting back to hers. Then, he stuck his thumb into his mouth and licked off the ice cream.

She blushed crimson and stayed frozen in her seat, unable to so much as breathe. His tongue ran across his lips afterward, a sexy action that had Lucy biting down on her own tongue to stop herself from copying him.

"W-We should go," she stammered, forcing her gaze somewhere else. "Before it gets too late."

"Okay," he agreed. "But not until we finish our ice cream." He took another spoonful, and Lucy braced herself, waiting for him to lunge it at her. But he didn't, he ate the bite, then offered a bite to her. She snorted a laugh but opened her mouth without hesitation this time.

They continued like this until the bowl was empty, then Natsu leaned back and stretched his arms over his head. The action made his muscles strain against his t-shirt (the white one Lucy had borrowed the previous day).

Lucy did not notice this. She did not stare at those muscles from the corner of her eyes. She was a proper lady…

 _I am so not a proper lady,_ she thought.

The waitress appeared there as if sensing that they had finished, or maybe she had been watching them, Lucy didn't know.

"How was your dessert?" She asked them, beaming down at them, check in hand.

"Delicious," Natsu grinned, then slapped some money on the table. Diane's eyes bulged at the amount that was definitely too much for the one item they'd ordered, even with tip. He slid from the booth, dragging Lucy along with him.

"Thanks, Dina!" He called back.

"I think her name is Diane," Lucy whispered.

He shrugged and pulled her outside with him.

"Did you have fun?" He asked her as the two walked down the street.

"I did," she smiled over at him. And she had, more fun than she had in a long time. She felt carefree and happy, something she hadn't felt very much when she was living back with her father. "Thank you, for taking me here."

"Anytime, Luce," He replied.

The duo continued walking until they reached her house. It was early evening by that point, the sun barely making its descent across the horizon and painting the sky pink and orange. It wasn't late yet, but it was definitely getting there. Lucy wondered if the others had reached her house yet, but when she and Natsu walked up the front porch steps she noticed that all the lights were still out inside. That meant Mira still wasn't home either, a thought she found disheartening. She had been hoping that the woman would have come home while Lucy had been at school that day.

"Wait," Lucy said as Natsu reached for the door handle.

He paused and glanced back at her, frowning. "What's up?"

She shifted on her feet, feeling uncomfortable and anxious. "This was technically our second date…" she said lamely.

"...Yes." He agreed slowly.

Lucy swallowed the lump in her throat and stepped closer to him, meeting his confused gaze with her own, then whispered in a barely audible tone, "Kiss me."

* * *

 **A/N: Hi, ya'll! So, how was it? This was basically a filler chapter, nothing really important going on, just fluff and stuff! But I thought their date was super cute! What was YOUR favorite part?**

 **Oh, and my editor says this cliffhanger was mean, anyone agree with her? *evil smirk* Is there even such a thing as a filler-chliffhanger? Well, there is now. You're welcome XD Come back next week to see what happens next!**


	19. Mira

**Fairy Tail High**

 **Chapter 19: Mira**

 **By: xSteleAliniax**

* * *

"Kiss me."

Natsu went completely still, green eyes wide as they held her gaze, not daring to so much as blink.

"...What?" He whispered.

She reached out and took one of his hands in hers. "Kiss me, Natsu."

He swallowed a hard lump in his throat as his eyes trailed down to her lips, which parted slightly under his gaze.

Her chest heaved.

His chest heaved.

Her hand lifted to his cheek.

His hand lifted to her cheek.

She lifted onto her toes, eyes closing…

He leaned down… his lips just brushing against hers…

"There you two are!"

They jumped apart, each wearing equally embarrassed expressions as they stared back at Erza, who now stood in the doorway, wearing a disapproving expression.

"Um," Lucy started.

"Come inside." She ordered them, holding the door open for them.

They stepped inside and Erza closed the door behind them, locking the bolt so no uninvited guests could come in.

They followed Erza into the living room where Jellal and Gray currently sat cross-legged on the floor.

In the dark.

"Why are you all sitting in the dark?" Lucy asked as she walked over to flip on a lamp on one of the coffee tables by the couch. "And you don't have to sit on the floor, you know. You can use the couches and chairs."

"I don't mind sitting on the floor," Jellal said.

"Your loss," Natsu plopped onto the sofa with his feet laid out before him.

Lucy rolled her eyes and pushed his feet so she could sit at the end. Erza took a chair across from them, and Gray took the other. Jellal remained on the floor.

"So, what now?" Natsu asked.

"Well, in order for the spell to work properly I'm going to need some candles and a lock of hair." Jellal said, stone-faced.

They all blinked at him in disbelief.

"That was a joke," he smirked.

"Very funny, Jellal," Erza narrowed her eyes at him. "Can you please take this seriously? This is no joking matter."

"My apologies, Titania," he dropped the smirk, but they could all see it still pulling at the edges of his lips. He cleared his throat. "Anyway, all I really need is a quiet place to do the spell. Preferably somewhere your aunt spends a lot of time. And I need two of you to lend some of your strength."

"Two of us?" Gray asked in confusion.

Jellal nodded. "It is a very complex spell, as I said. It requires a powerful mage and I simply don't have that kind of power at this time. I have spent too much time holding my powers at bay to stay under the radar."

"I guess that makes sense…" Lucy mused.

"Lucy," Jellal said as he stood to his feet. "I'll need your help, since you're the one who's closest to her."

"Me?" Lucy squeaked out. "I'm not a very powerful wizard…"

"It doesn't matter. Between the three of us we will become a powerful enough mage to complete the spell."

"Who else do you need?" Lucy asked.

Jellal's gaze fell on Natsu. "Him. He's met Ms. Strauss before, he will be of some help."

"Me?" Natsu exclaimed, at the same time Gray sputtered, "him?"

"Yes. Let's go." Jellal turned and headed up the stairs, and a moment later Lucy and Natsu followed.

…

The group of three set up in Mira's room. They sat cross-legged in a circle in the center of the semi-large space, facing one another. They didn't hold hands, and they didn't light candles or chant or do any of the weird stuff Lucy had feared they may do. Instead, they just sat there, eyes closed and minds focused as Jellal murmured a Greek incantation that neither Lucy nor Natsu understood.

" _Kaló to vasíleio ton pnevmáton, ton aitoúnton apó tis chaménes._

 _Kaló to vasíleio tou káto kósmou, pou anazitoún kápoion pou échei chatheí._ "

Jellal paused and his body seemed to take on a faint glow. He fingered the carpet beneath him, groaning silently from the pain and exertion the spell cost him.

" _Kaló to vasíleio ton ouranón._

 _Kaló tis sfaíres tis kólasis._

 _Voíthisé me, O sofón. Voíthisé me na periigitheíte tis sfaíres kai ta álla kósmous. Daneízoun me tin kathodígisi kai ti sofía sas_."

Jellal blew out a long, shaky breath when he finished.

Natsu seemed to be sweating he was concentrating so hard on lending his magic.

After another long moment, Lucy shivered. The air around them seemed to drop ten degrees, making gooseflesh rise on her skin. She wrapped her arms around herself to stop the sudden chill, both from the cold air and the strange sensation she felt.

"What was that?" She whispered, too afraid to open her eyes just then.

"Lucy," Jellal gasped out in surprise. "Your aunt, she's already here."

Lucy went rigid, eyes flying open to find Jellal's gaze fixed on hers.

"...What?" she breathed, voice barely audible.

"She's been here the whole time," Jellal said, just as quiet, his tone uncertain, yet entirely sure at the same time, like he couldn't believe what he knew to be true. "As in, she never left, Lucy."

Lucy gasped, eyed going wide. "You mean… she's a… _ghost_?"

"Maybe she's a zombie," Natsu supplied helpfully.

They ignored him.

"No," Jellal shook his head. "She's alive."

Lucy breathed a sigh of relief, then took a deep breath to try and steady her racing heart. "She's alive, good. But then… what do you mean 'she never left'? How is she here right now?"

"Are you sure she's not a ghost?" Natsu asked speculatively.

"I'm sure," Jellal reaffirmed. "She has a spell on her, a very powerful one by the feel of it."

"What kind of spell?" Natsu asked.

"An invisibility spell, one that forces her to become completely invisible to the human, and not so human, eye." Jellal gave Natsu a pointed look at that last part. "That's why you couldn't smell her scent. She's here, but she is likely in some sort of stasis."

"How long?" Lucy demanded. "How long has she been like this?"

"Not long," Jellal assured her, sensing her growing panic. "No more than two days if I had to guess."

Lucy blew out another relieved breath. She had been worried that maybe she'd never actually met Mira, that maybe she had been Midnight in disguise all along. But no, Midnight had done a pretty good job with his illusion on the woman, but he still hadn't been able to fully grasp who Mira was as a person.

"What do we do?" She turned to Jellal with desperate eyes. "How do we help her?"

Jellal hesitated. "I am uncertain at this time," he admitted, voice full of regret. "I'm sorry, Lucy, but I'm not able to counteract a spell like this, it's too powerful, even with all five of us lending our strength. We would need a particularly powerful mage to break this spell. Or…"

"Or?" Lucy prompted when he stayed silent.

"Or, the spellcaster themselves would have to break it." He finished.

Lucy slumped. "I don't know where to find either of those!"

"We'll figure it out, Luce," Natsu squeezed her hand. "Don't worry, I think I know someone who can help us."

…

Lucy stood with Natsu, Gray, Jellal and Erza in front of a small cottage-like house, set on the outskirts of town, a good three miles from civilization. It reminded her of something from one of the old fairy tales her mother used to read to her before bed, like the one about the the little girl who was visiting her granny and almost got eaten by a wolf, or the woman with snow white skin who ate from an apple and fell into eternal sleep.

Lucy shifted nervously on her feet. Nothing good ever happened in pretty cottages.

"Is he even home?" Lucy asked nervously, noting the darkened windows. "Maybe he's asleep? We should probably come back tomorrow—"

"MAKAROV!" Natsu bellowed, banging on the door hard enough to rock the wood. "OPEN UP!"

"Or we could do that," Gray commented with a roll of his eyes.

"Don't break the door down, Salamander," Jellal teased.

"Shut up!" He shot back, still banging on the door. "MAKAROV! I know you're in there, I can smell you!"

"Could you be any more of a freak, Ash Breath?" Gray gibed.

Natsu ignored him.

Finally, the door opened and their high school principal stood in front of them, clad in pajamas and a nightcap, and wore an annoyed expression as he glowered up at them.

"What is it this time Natsu?" he asked impatiently.

"We need your help with something," Erza spoke up before Natsu could. "Lucy," a gesture at the blonde, "her aunt has been missing, so Jellal helped perform a locator spell on her."

"And?" The small man raised an eyebrow.

"We found her," Jellal said.

Makarov turned at the serious tone in his voice, then pulled open the door and ushered them inside. "What happened?" He demanded once they were all seated around his living room, on chairs and couches.

"There is a very powerful invisibility spell on her," Jellal explained. "I can't quite tell its origin, though."

"And you want my help to break the spell," Makarov guessed.

"Please, Mr. Dreyar," Lucy begged from Makarov's right. "Please help me."

"Help _us,_ " Natsu corrected, sliding his hand under hers and giving it a squeeze.

She gave him a smile in return.

"Of course, my child," he agreed at once. "Do you have any ideas who may be responsible?" He asked of no one in particular.

"We don't really know—"

"I might have an idea," Lucy cut off Jellal's reply.

"Go on, my dear," Makarov urged gently.

"There was someone who impersonated my aunt," Lucy explained. "His name was Midnight."

Makarov's eyes widened. "Midnight? Midnight of the Oracion Seis?"

"That's the one," Erza replied with a nod. "He's caused us a lot of trouble." She added, grimacing.

"I imagine so," Makarov agreed. "Well, that is a matter to discuss at a later time. Now, we should focus on your aunt. What was her name, dear?"

"Mira," Lucy offered.

Recognition lit up in his green eyes. "Mirajane Strauss?"

"Yeah," Lucy frowned. "Do you know her?"

"She is an old friend of mine," he said mysteriously. "Now," he hopped down from the sofa he had been sitting on to stand before them. "Let us go back to your home and bring back your aunt."

…

All six mages now sat on Mira's bedroom floor, with Makarov at the head of the circle and a picture of Mira set in front of him.

No one was certain whether or not the spell to bring back the woman would work, no one really knew exactly where she was, but they all hoped that with Makarov they would have enough power to do so.

Natsu had explained to Lucy on the way back to Mira's that Makarov was a wizard too, a powerful one that looked after the other, younger mages in town. He told her that there were only a handful of known mages at Fairy Tail High, but that more would probably come as the threat of the Ravens became worse.

Lucy closed her eyes when they all sat down, concentrating all of her magical energy toward Makarov to aid in the spell. She waited for him to recite a similar incantation to Jellal's but instead, what he did made her gasp in surprise.

"ALRIGHT, YOU BASTARDS!" He bellowed, making everyone in the group jump a little. "GIVE US BACK MIRAJANE STRAUSS!"

"That's one way to ask, Gramps…" Gray muttered under his breath, shaking his head in amusement.

Makarov shrugged, eyes still closed. "We demand that you lift the spell that has been placed on this woman," he continued. "Break the ties that bind her soul and allow her to have form once more."

Lucy closed her eyes once more as magic flowed around them, casting them all in an almost blinding white light. She concentrated hard, allowing every ounce of power she had left to join the others. It was dizzying, the amount of power combined between the six of them, comprised in an orb-shaped ball of light the center of their circle.

" _Kaló tis sfaíres tis kólasis, zitóntas sas na apeleftherósoun tous syngeneís mas!_ " Makarov chanted. The orb of light grew, becoming brighter. " _Me ti dýnami tou aftó pou eínai díkaio, sas entolí! ELEUTHEROSI!"_

The light surged and filled the space with it's blinding glow. For a moment, all was silent and still. There was nothing but a white nothingness surrounding them. Then, a figure emerged from the whiteness, slowly materializing before them like a camera lense coming into focus, her features sharpening and becoming clear until a familiar face stood before them.

"Mira!" Lucy gasped out in joyous relief.

The woman's eyes fell on her, a smile lighting up her face. "Lucy, you saved me."

Lucy shook her head, tears flying from her eyes as she did. "I didn't do anything, it was all my friends. They helped me. I never would have known—"

"Shh," Mira knelt at her side and pulled her in for an embrace. "Don't say such things. I'm fine. I was fully aware the entire time."

Jellal looked surprised. "You mean you weren't in stasis?"

"No," Mira shook her head. "I mean, I wasn't exactly conscious, but I could still hear everything that was being said." Her eyes turned on Natsu now, narrowing slightly. "And _see_ everything, Mr. 'are we gonna cuddle'."

Natsu's face went bright red as he gave a sheepish smile, scooting away from her accusatory expression.

Lucy coughed uncomfortably. "Um… well,"

"Was it Midnight of the Oracion Seis?" Erza cut Lucy off, leaning forward to look the other woman in the eye.

Mira frowned. "Who?"

"The man who placed this spell on you," Erza offered. "Was he the culprit?"

Mira turned thoughtful, as if she were trying to recall something that was on the tip of her tongue.

Lucy frowned in concern, waiting for her "aunt" to say something, to just come out and blame the villain they all knew must be responsible. Because if Midnight wasn't the fiend here, then that meant there was something else out there, and Lucy couldn't deal with yet another person trying to kill her.

"I didn't see his face," Mira whispered at last. Her eyes were closed, concealing the pain she must have felt, but her lips trembled slightly. Lucy's heart ached for her. "But his voice… I'll never forget that. It was lilting and terrifying, yet somehow alluring at the same time."

She turned to Makarov then, tears in her eyes, but expression full of determination. "You have to help me find him!" she pleaded. "Please,"

"Of course," he agreed at once with a nod. "Anything to help an old friend."

"Are you certain you didn't see his face?" Jellal asked.

"No," she said slowly. "But, I might know a way to figure it out."

* * *

 **A/N: Not much to say other than a huge thank you to my friend _Grizzly98 _ for helping me edit this chapter. Thank you again!**

* * *

 **English Translation to Spell Jellal Used:**

I call upon the realm of the spirits, seekers of the lost ones.

I call upon the realm of the underworld, seeking one who is lost.

I call upon the realm of the skies.

I call upon the realms of the Hell.

Help me, Oh Wise Ones. Help me to navigate the realms and the other worlds. Lend me your guidance and wisdom.

 **English Translation to Spell Makarov Used:**

I call upon the realms of Hell, demanding you to release our kin!

By the power of that which is law, we command you! RELEASE!


	20. Bound

**Fairy Tail High**

 **Chapter 20: Bound**

 **By: xSteleAliniax**

 **Beta'd By: _Katie Dragneel_**

* * *

Lucy sat in the small kitchen with Natsu, Erza, Jellal and Gray, hands cupped around a cup of hot tea. Natsu sat to her right with Erza to her left. Gray and Jellal both stood, leaning against the wall, arms crossed over their chests, with mirrored expressions of thoughtfulness. They were all silent as they sat there, minds consumed with thoughts of the event that had just taken place upstairs.

Mira was back, she was free and safe, but the threat wasn't behind them yet. They still didn't know who exactly had trapped Mira in that spell, or who was after the rest of them. They didn't even know if it was the same person. All they knew, was that both threats had to be dealt with sooner rather than later. This they could all agree on.

Lucy heaved a sigh. She was thinking about her "aunt", and how quickly she had dismissed them all. They had just worked together to free her from that invisibility spell, and how did she repay them? By promptly throwing them out of her room! Lucy was miffed. Sure, she and Mira didn't know each other all that well and sure, the other woman was probably overwhelmed by everything, but she could have been a little more appreciative, Lucy thought.

"I can't believe she kicked us out," Natsu grumbled, echoing her thoughts.

She turned a wan smile his way. "Me, either."

Mira had told them all that she had an idea of how to find the man who had trapped her, but when they asked what she meant, she had averted her gaze and asked them all, not unkindly, to leave so she could speak with Makarov privately.

Lucy and the others retreated downstairs, where they were all impatiently waiting, wondering what was going on, and why they were being left in the dark.

Lucy took a sip of her tea, trying to ignore the slight shaking in her hands as she brought the cup to her lips. It clattered against the saucer as she placed the cup back down, betraying her calm exterior.

"You okay?" Natsu asked in a low tone.

She shrugged, not trusting her voice not to waver.

In truth, she wasn't okay at all. Her mind had been flooded with thoughts of her home, her _real_ home, ever since they brought Mira back from… wherever she had been. She found herself missing her father and all those that she left back at the Heartfilia Estate. She hadn't received a single phone call from her father the entire time she had been in Magnolia. Maybe it hadn't even been that long yet, but she was still upset that her father hadn't at least called to check in on her; to ask if she made it okay and/or how she was adjusting. Something!

Instead, it was as if he didn't even care about her. She'd thought that him sending her to Magnolia was his way of telling her he did, in fact, care about his only daughter. She'd thought that he'd wanted to protect her, to keep her away from the Ravens, as he'd said, but she was starting to think he'd only sent her away to get rid of her. He didn't care about her at all, he just didn't want to deal with her anymore.

She scowled into the tea leaves at the bottom of her cup, frustrated, angry, upset that her own father didn't give a damn about her. A black cloud started to form over her head, forcing her to slump forward slightly.

"Come on," Natsu murmured into her ear, gripping her lightly by the arms to help her stand, despite the half-hearted protests she gave to push him away.

"Where are you taking her?" Gray asked as the pinkette led Lucy out of the kitchen area.

"Out," was all he said in return.

He led her slumping form outside and around to the side of the house, where he had seen a small bench, and encouraged her to sit.

She did, numbly sitting beside Natsu and staring blankly into the distance.

The moon was high tonight, shining down upon them and casting them in a brilliant silvery glow. It reflected off the small lake, which the side of Mira's house they sat faced, and made the water shimmer.

Lucy hadn't been out to this part of Mira's house yet and wondered briefly how Natsu had known it was there. It was a pretty view, her muddled mind had to admit, even if she couldn't fully appreciate it at that moment.

Natsu stayed silent, just sitting beside her, hand resting on top of hers, looking out onto the moonlit lake.

Lucy closed her eyes and breathed in the crisp night air, letting it fill her senses and clear her mind. It helped a little, enough to allow her to see things a little clearer.

"I'm a fraud," she finally said, blurting the words out as if she couldn't hold them in any longer. Natsu's head tilted in her direction, the only indication that he was listening. "I haven't been completely honest with you, Natsu.

"The reason I came to Magnolia is because my father thought I would be safe here. For awhile, my father kept the threat of the Ravens secret from me, deciding I would be better off not knowing, I guess."

She shrugged, still staring off across the lake.

"When he finally told me that there was a guild hunting wizards and trying to eliminate us all, he urged me to leave, to flee from the only place I had ever called home. To run—like a coward." This last part was barely more than a whisper, but she knew he heard by the slight tightening of his fingers around hers.

"I refused at first because I didn't want to be the kind of person who runs from her problems, who hides and ignores the threat against her." Lucy blew out a long breath before continuing. "I didn't want to be weak, but at the same time, I didn't really want to believe that what he was telling me was truth. It couldn't be true!"

She could feel Natsu's gaze on her, but she didn't turn to look at him, not yet. She kept her eyes firmly ahead, ignoring the penetrating gaze boring holes into her skull. The heat his body was giving off was akin to that of a flame, warming her body in the chilly night air. She ignored this too and focused back on her story.

"Anyway," she continued, "Virgo, one of my spirits, convinced me that I should heed my father's advice. Better safe than sorry, as the old adage goes." She gave a nervous sort of laugh that came out as more of a squeak. She cleared her throat, "So, I left my home and came here, where I was supposed to be safe.

"My father instructed me to find Mira and attend Fairy Tail High—to blend in and disappear."

She hadn't been doing a very good job of that thus far. Flare had found her, then Raven Tail's master, then Midnight. She had never felt more conspicuous in her life. What was she doing wrong? She thought she had been staying under the radar, but if she was running into this many wizards in just her first week, then what did that say about her?

"I'm a complete failure." Tears began to spill down Lucy's cheeks and dripped noiselessly onto her shirt, leaving little dots behind. "I've failed my father, I've failed my spirits, I failed Mira, and now I'm failing at _this_ too." She gestured between them, then wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

"You're not a failure, Lucy," Natsu said, speaking for the first time since they came outside.

She turned her head to face him, though his profile was distorted from the tears that swam in her eyes.

When his gaze met hers, it was full of sincerity. "You're a strong, capable woman. It was you who saved us from that bastard crossdresser, remember? _You_ helped us to escape that castle, no one else. That's not a failure to me."

Lucy blinked away the tears, watching the passion burn in Natsu's eyes. He wasn't just telling her these things, he really believed them.

"Besides, I know what it's like to feel like a failure," Natsu continued after a moment. "I've been there, but now I know that it was never my fail to begin with; it was never something I could control, it just happened."

"What happened?" Lucy whispered. Then realization hit her. "With your sister?"

Natsu nodded. "When Wendy went… crazy, like she did, I was convinced that it was all my fault, that it was because I hadn't recognized the signs sooner, or because I didn't take action when I knew, deep down, that I should have."

He sighed wistfully, then gave Lucy a small smile. "Anyway, my point was, I can relate. And, I haven't thought for even a second that you were a liar or a fake, or anything less than what you are: a kind, beautiful girl. And I really like you."

Lucy felt her eyes widen at the admission, the words making her momentarily speechless. A tear, a single reminder of the internal pain she'd just experienced, fell silently down her cheek.

Natsu reached out a hand and brushed his thumb over the tear, dashing it away, then cupped her face lightly. "Someone as beautiful as you shouldn't be crying," he whispered, before lowering his mouth down to hers.

Lucy sighed when his lips touched hers, eyes fluttering shut as fire suddenly burned through her veins, making her blood boil.

He pulled back after only a moment but kept his forehead pressed against hers, eyes full of wonder or awe or _something_ as he stared into hers.

"S-Sorry," he mumbled, still not pulling away. "I had to do that."

"Don't be sorry," she said quickly, squeezing the hand she still held. "I liked it." Heat rose to her cheeks but she ignored it.

His mouth pulled up into a grin. "Me too."

"Should we go back and see what the others are doing?" she asked, suddenly feeling uncomfortable, though not necessarily in a bad way.

His grin widened. "Sure, Luce."

Natsu pulled back, then stood to his feet and offered her a hand and a smile. She returned both and he helped her to her feet as well before leading her back inside.

The others, including Mira and Makarov, were all seated around the living room, talking in hushed voices. They all glanced up at Lucy and Natsu's approach.

Makarov arched both eyebrows, then snickered as he turned to whisper something to Mira, who in return sent a scowl Natsu's way.

Erza wore an expression that clearly said 'seriously, Natsu'?

Jellal looked slightly amused, while at the same time appearing completely indifferent. It was an expression only Jellal could pull off, Lucy thought.

Gray was the only one who vocally addressed them. "Nice going, Flame Brain. The rest of us are in here trying to come up with a plan and you two are outside making out. Real mature."

Lucy blushed scarlet and bit her lip as she averted her gaze from the others.

 _How did they all know?!_

"Shut up, you troglodyte!" Natsu shot back, hands balling into fists, posture slightly forward as if he might attack Gray.

"Do you even know what that word means?" Gray deadpanned, apparently not taking offense to Natsu's gibe.

"It means you're a no good cave dweller!"

Natsu made to attack, fist now burning with flame, but he didn't get two feet before he was suddenly on his back on the floor.

Natsu blinked in confusion, then scowled and turned to Jellal, who hadn't moved a single inch, yet wore a suspiciously satisfied expression. Erza, beside him, cracked a smile.

"Dammit, Jellal!" Natsu jumped to his feet and another flame engulfed his hand.

By instinct, Lucy leapt forward and clasped her hand around his. The flame went out with a hiss, as if she had just extinguished it.

The room fell silent as everyone suddenly turned to gape at Natsu and Lucy's clasped hands—including Natsu.

"What?" Lucy asked, gaze shifting between them all.

"Luce," Natsu brought their hands up to eye level, "look what you just did."

She glanced down at their hands, frowning. "You don't want me to hold your hand?" she asked, feeling a little hurt and more than a little embarrassed.

Natsu shook his head. "That's not what I meant. Luce, you extinguished my flame, with just your hand."

Confusion still colored her features. "What? I just grabbed your hand, Natsu."

 _Why is everyone being so weird all of a sudden?_

"Actually," Jellal cut in before she could reply, "you clasped his flaming fist and put out the flame, which should be impossible. This is quite intriguing." His tone was thoughtful and he tapped a finger against his chin, looking between Lucy and Natsu with curious eyes.

Lucy blinked at Jellal in disbelief, then turned her gaze down to where hers and Natsu's hands were still clasped. A faint trail of smoke trickled into the air. Her eyes widened.

"Wha—"

"Very intriguing," Makarov agreed with a nod.

Lucy snatched her hand back, embarrassment flooding her. "I-I-" she stammered, trying to come up with some excuse, but really, what the hell kind of excuse _was_ there when she didn't even know what she had done?

Natsu looked over her face for a moment, then grinned a devious smile. "Do it again," he said before lighting up his fist again and thrusting it toward her.

Lucy backpedaled, clutching her hands to her chest and gaping at the flame-fist.

"N-Not on your life!" she exclaimed.

"It most likely won't affect you," Jellal told her.

She turned to him.

 _Seriously?_

His tone was casual, like he was suggesting she pluck a flower.

"Come on, Luce," Natsu moved closer to her, gesturing with a flame-covered finger, a come hither gesture she did not appreciate, made worse by the evil smile he still wore.

Lucy's eyes trailed down to his fist with a dubious expression. She could feel the heat from the flame from where she stood four feet away, she had no desire to reach out and touch it. And yet, she already had, she just wasn't sure she believed it.

Hesitantly, after more prodding, Lucy slowly reached out her hand, palm down, toward Natsu's. He turned his own hand palm up and waited while she worked up the nerve. It was hot; she could feel the skin of her hand start to burn. It was going to hurt.

Only, it didn't.

Finally, having already grown impatient, Natsu suddenly grabbed her hand in his, causing a squeak of surprise from Lucy. Like before, the flame died out in his hand with an audible sizzle.

"Hmm," Jellal mused.

"Interesting," Erza nodded.

"It makes sense," Mira added, still glowering at Natsu.

"What makes sense?" Lucy asked, annoyed that she was apparently the only one still in the dark.

"It's because you and this idiot here made out," Gray explained casually, jerking a thumb over at Natsu.

Lucy blushed. "We weren't making out!" she insisted.

Gray shrugged.

"You were, dare I say, 'lip locked', my dear," a Makarov spoke up from beside Mira, where he wore a suspiciously huge grin.

Lucy's blush darkened. What, had they all been staring out the window, watching her and Natsu like creepy stalkers?!

"We weren't staring," Jellal said abruptly, eyes flicking up to Lucy's face. She met his gaze and saw the sincerity in those green orbs. He wasn't lying.

"Yeah, but it was pretty damned obvious when it suddenly fell silent," Gray smirked.

Natsu clenched his fists and opened his mouth to retaliate, but froze when he heard Lucy suck in a sharp, pained breath through her teeth

"Oops, sorry, Luce!" He loosened his grip on her hand then let it fall back to her side.

"So, what does this mean?" Mira asked after a moment.

Makarov, Jellal and Erza all turned thoughtful for a moment. Gray looked only slightly curious, like he didn't really care whether they explained or not. Natsu and Lucy both waited expectantly, expressions mirroring one another's.

"It means they are Bound," Makarov finally said, sounding both reluctant and relieved by these words.

"Bound?" Lucy and Natsu repeated in unison.

Makarov nodded sagely. "Yes, I have heard stories of Bonded pairs over the years, but I've never come across any myself."

Jellal was nodding in agreement "I've heard some tales myself. The stories all say that these pairs are Bound for eternity, being continuously reunited throughout time."

Lucy paled. "Y-You don't seriously mean what I think you mean…"

Jellal nodded. "Reincarnation."

* * *

 **A/N: Sorry for the lateness of this chapter, guys! Forgive me! On the bright side, who's happy NaLu finally got their kiss? XD**


	21. Arc of Time

**A/N: I AM SOOOOOOOO SORRY! *sobs* I know I haven't updated in like 6,000 years! But I promised I would NOT abandon it, and I always keep my promises! I am going to TRY to get another one out next week, but not promises on that one. I do kind of know what I want to do next and I'm pretty excited to get there, so I don't think it will be too much of a problem, but we'll see! I love you all for sticking around and not abandoning this story in my absense! You're the best! Please forgive me!**

* * *

 **Fairy Tail High**

 **Chapter 21: Arc of Time**

"Reincarnation," Mira repeated, eyebrows pulling up in surprise.

"It must have been unlocked when you kissed," Makarov mused.

Lucy and Natsu both just gaped, neither able to do so much as utter a single syllable as Jellal continued to explain the unbelievable.

"No one can really prove if reincarnation is real or not," Jellal was saying, "but in cases of a Bonded pair, there are always signs that lead to the belief that it is, in fact, real."

"How can we be certain?" Mira asked.

Jellal gave a vague gesture toward Lucy and Natsu. "The proof is standing right in front of you. Only a Bonded pair would be able to do what Lucy just did with Natsu. I don't think there is any question that these two are the reincarnation of their former selves—lovers destined to be together for eternity."

"That's so romantic!" Mira gushed.

"Or creepy," Gray muttered.

"I don't understand," Lucy spoke up, still confused. "What exactly is a 'Bond'?"

"A Bond forms when two people have been destined for each other since the beginning of time," Jellal said. "Two lovers who are reborn again and again, and in each lifetime find each other, no matter what."

"Can you feel it?" Makarov asked, eyes on Lucy.

"Feel what?" Confused? Yes, she definitely felt confused. Afraid? Maybe a little.

Confused? Yes, she definitely felt confused. Afraid? Maybe a little.

Afraid? Maybe a little.

"Can you feel the connection you two share?"

"I have," Natsu cut in before she could speak.

Everyone turned to the pinkette now, who was looking only at Lucy as he spoke.

"I felt it the first day we met at school. As soon as I saw you… I don't know, something just sparked inside of me. It awakened something I hadn't even known I possessed until that moment."

Lucy recalled the strange look he had given her when he'd run into her in the hallway that first day. Had he really felt such a strong connection just by seeing her one time? Was that why he'd asked her to sit with him after just meeting her? When they'd kissed under the moon… Lucy _had_ felt something, a stirring inside of her being, something she couldn't quite describe, but that felt _right_ somehow.

"I think…" she began slowly, "I think I know what you're trying to describe."

"Very interesting," Jellal mused.

"I still don't understand what any of this means, though." Lucy sat on the sofa next to Mira, suddenly too tired to stand, and put her head in her hands.

"I might be able to help, I think," Jellal said, his tone almost reluctant. Everyone turned to look at him, but his gaze was fixed away from them all. "I… have a friend who specializes in Arc of Time Magic. I think she can help you two in recovering some of your past memories, if I am correct about your reincarnation."

Lucy gasped but didn't comment. Mira, Makarov, and Erza all had similar expressions of understanding. Natsu and Gray looked confused, but it was Gray who finally broke the silence.

"Who is this friend of yours?" he asked. "And what the hell is 'Arc of Time' magic?"

"Arc of Time is an ancient magic," Makarov explained. "It is also considered to be a forbidden magic."

"Isn't all magic technically forbidden anymore?" Lucy interrupted, frowning at the man.

He nodded. "Yes, that is true also, but this is a magic that was never trusted or accepted. In fact, this young woman is the only person I have ever known to have possessed this power. It's very dangerous, even if used correctly."

Lucy shivered and wrapped her arms around herself. "I don't think I like the sound of that…"

Mira put a reassuring hand on her arm. "Don't worry, Lucy, I'm sure she isn't a bad person; she won't let anything bad happen to you."

"And we will be there to protect you," Jellal added. "Nothing bad will happen to either of you."

Lucy sighed. "I don't know… This is a lot to take in."

"You're right, child," Makarov agreed with a smile. "Let's not concern ourselves with this matter tonight. We can all take some time to process. I do suggest that all you kids take the day off from school tomorrow, though. Perhaps you should all stay together, just in case."

Natsu's eyes bugged. "Just in case of what, old man?!"

It was Jellal who spoke, in a tone that suggested indifference. "In case our enemies decide to attack us all in our sleep, Salamander."

Lucy groaned. "That is not reassuring, Jellal."

He shrugged unapologetically.

Erza rolled her eyes. "Jellal is right. We will all stay here tonight."

Lucy gaped. "Wait, why _here_?!"

Erza cast a glower on Lucy that had her flinching away. "Because we are already all here. There is no need to trek across town to our base—"

"BOO!" Natsu cut in.

Erza continued as if he hadn't even spoken. "—and risk running into anyone this late at night, when we can all be safe here, together. Makarov," she turned her gaze on the small man, "you will stay as well."

He didn't look pleased by this but didn't go against Erza's command. Lucy found it almost comical that not even a grown man would dare fight against Erza, though she kept this thought to herself, of course.

"Great!" Natsu stretched his arms over his head. "Well, if we're all done here, I'm gonna get going! Let's go to bed, Luce!"

Lucy blushed. "Wh-What?! You are _not_ sleeping in my bed again!"

Mira giggled. "Oh, come on, Lucy. You two are _Bonded_ , after all!"

Lucy turned a glare on the woman, but she was pointedly looking somewhere else.

"I just wanna talk…" Natsu murmured. Lucy glanced back at him and found his eyes fixed on hers. His expression _looked_ sincere, she thought, and maybe a little wary. She wondered why that was.

Finally, she sighed. "Fine." Curiosity was getting the better of her.

"That is hardly appropriate, Natsu!" Erza remarked in disapproval.

"Yeah, man." Gray folded his arms across his chest. "You shouldn't be the only one that gets a bed tonight."

"I don't think that's what she meant." Mira giggled again.

Lucy groaned and stood from the couch. As she neared a sheepishly smiling Natsu, she narrowed her eyes. "This better be important!" she hissed.

His smile fell and was replaced by a look of seriousness. He nodded and followed her up the stairs to her bedroom.

Lucy closed the door behind them, then turned with an expectant look.

Natsu sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Luce, I'm sorry."

Lucy's face softened at that. "For what? You didn't do anything."

He looked away, frowning at her dresser. "I… felt something, that first day."

"You just said—"

"I know," he interrupted, not unkindly. "Just listen a second, okay?" He turned back to her and waited for her to nod before continuing. "I should have said something that first day. I felt this weird connection, but I couldn't figure out what it was; I didn't know what it meant. I knew you were a wizard right away, I felt that the moment I bumped into you," he gave her an apologetic smile, "and at first I thought that's all that it was."

"When did you start to think it may be something more?" Lucy asked quietly.

Natsu turned thoughtful. "I think… I think it was that second day, when I ran into you again? When I offered to help you up and you took my hand…" he closed his eyes and exhaled a long breath. "I don't know, I _felt_ it. It was different from your wizard signature."

 _The butterflies,_ she recalled. She had felt them when they'd touched but had contributed them to a natural response to a good-looking guy.

"I think I know what you're talking about," she whispered. He opened his eyes and looked over at her. She continued. "When we touched, I felt this… fluttering feeling inside of me, like butterflies."

"Yeah," he agreed hoarsely, "that's exactly what it feels like. Only for me, it was more like a freaking storm of butterflies." He laughed.

Lucy grinned, but the smile quickly faded. "What are we going to do, Natsu?"

"What do you mean?"

"About us, about all of this." She gestured between them. "I mean, Jellal thinks it will help if we go see his friend and learn more about our past, but what if it doesn't? Natsu, what if we don't like the things we find out?"

"Hey." He pulled her into his arms and rested his head on the top of her head. "Don't worry about that, 'kay? If this is true and we keep finding each other in every lifetime, over and over, then it has to be because we're something special, right?"

Lucy smiled into his chest. "Yeah, I guess you're right. If we hated each other, we probably would have avoided ever meeting again in another life."

He snorted. "Like anyone could hate _you._ "

She smiled wider and wrapped her arms tighter around him. "I hope this answers some of our questions."

"Yeah," he kissed the top of her head, "me too."

…

The next day, Lucy found herself trekking through the forest in _wedges_ of all things, silently cursing Jellal for not warning her to wear different shoes as her feet sank repeatedly into the damp earth. Jellal, Erza, and Mira walked up ahead and were talking in hushed voices amongst the three of them. Lucy wondered what they were saying, but was too tired to try and find out. Gray walked alone between them, hands stuffed in his pants (the only article of clothing he still wore), and occasionally kicked at a fallen rock or tree branch with his toe when one got in his path. Lucy and Natsu were only a few paces behind him, walking close but not quite touching. Still, Lucy could feel the heat emanating off of him as if they were pressed completely together. Principal Makarov pulled up the rear, humming to himself as if they were on a casual stroll through the woods and not on some weird mission to talk with a stranger who worked an ancient magic that may or may not reveal Lucy and Natsu's past life.

Just the thought made her tired.

Lucy sighed heavily without realizing it. Natsu glanced over at her with a frown. "What's up, Luce? Yer feet getting tired?" He arched an eyebrow at her wedges.

"No," she lied. "I'm just wary."

"About?"

"About… all of this." She threw her arms up in the air. "About us, meeting this 'friend' of Jellal's, and what happens when or _if_ she manages to uncover some truth about our past. What will that really accomplish, anyway? So we know what our past selves went through. That doesn't help us _now._ "

Natsu frowned deeply and tilted his head to the side. "Hmm. I guess that's true. But what if you're wrong?"

Lucy frowned. "What?"

"What if this woman _can_ help us? What if our past has led us to where we are today, without our even realizing it?"

"Like… a chain of events?" she asked.

He grinned over at her. "Yeah. Exactly like that. Maybe… something we did in the past—"

"Caused a ripple effect to our future," Lucy realized. "Wow. I didn't even put that together." She grinned. "I don't think your friends give you enough credit, you're actually pretty smart."

"Thanks!" He grinned proudly.

"Great," Gray muttered from a few paces ahead, "it's all your guys' fault we're stuck in Hell."

Lucy rolled her eyes, but Natsu looked like he'd just been slapped. "How could you say that?! That's not true!"

Gray shrugged without looked back at them. "You never know with your dumb ass."

Natsu balled his hands into fists. "You better shut up, you—" One scathing look from Erza had him literally swallowing back the words with an audible gulp. "Never mind," he muttered, then scowled at the ground.

"Up ahead," Jellal called back to them.

Lucy looked up and could just barely make out the vine-covered house, hidden behind so many trees and shrubs she would never have spotted it if Jellal hadn't pointed it out. She thought it might be white underneath, but the greenery surrounding it was so thick it was impossible to tell. It could have been painted rainbow for all she knew.

They all slowed and walked close together as they neared it. Lucy wondered how they would even find the front door when Jellal suddenly stopped. The rest of the group stood around him, all silent and waiting. Lucy was growing anxious and chewed her lip so hard she was sure she tasted blood. After an endless moment, she couldn't take it anymore.

"What are waiting for—"

"Shh." Jellal shushed her.

A moment later, the vines clinging to the house began to glow a bright green, illuminating the trees and forest around them. Lucy gaped, half-horrified, half-mesmerized at the sight. The glowing vines seemed to burn with a green fire and slowly began to recede upward.

"Cool!" Natsu hissed in an excited whisper beside her. "I've never tasted green fire before…"

"Don't even think about it, flame-brain," Gray snapped, glowering over his shoulder at him.

"That expression is really creepy, Natsu," Lucy whispered. His creepy grin only grew at that. She rolled her eyes and returned her attention back to the sight before them just as a dark wood door with thorny vines crisscrossing the surface appeared. She braced herself for something to jump out at them, horror movie style, only this was real life… and in the magical world, the horror was often worse than any movie.

The door creaked open a crack, revealing nothing but darkness beyond. Instinctively, Lucy reached out and clutched Natsu's hand in her own. She wasn't usually the type to seek out safety from others, but she had seen enough terror in the last few weeks that she felt it was totally justified in that moment.

Natsu didn't call out her weakness. He squeezed her hand and gave her a determined smile. "We're in this together," he mouthed. It made her smile.

The door was suddenly pulled inward as if a gust of wind had pushed against it. A figure stepped out, crouched at the waist and hobbling out clutching a wooden cane. A silver bun of hair sat atop her head and she looked… _ancient._ That was the only word Lucy could use to describe the woman. There were so many wrinkles on her face, it was nearly impossible to discern the smile that lifted up pale lips, or the twinkling in her dark eyes.

"Very funny, Ultear," Jellal deadpanned, not sounding amused in the least. "It hasn't been _that_ long since I've visited you."

Lucy glanced between the old woman and Jellal, confused. "This is Jellal's friend?" she murmured. Beside her, Natsu shrugged, seemingly just as confused as she was.

"Children these days have no respect for time," the woman chastised him, but she was still smiling.

"Ultear." Jellal's tone said business.

The woman sighed audibly, rolled her eyes, and began to straighten her posture. As she did, her frame began to change right before their eyes. Her body became slender and lithe with curves in all the right places—much to Lucy's annoyance. Her silver hair fluttered out of its bun and cascaded down her back into long, raven tresses. Her wrinkles disappeared in an instant, but the smirk remained.

"So nice to see you again, Jellal, Erza." She greeted them each with a nod, then turned her attention to the group behind them. "And what have you brought with you today? Have you joined one of those pesky guilds?"

Jellal snorted. "You and I both know there aren't any guilds left," he told her seriously.

"Unless you count the dark guilds," Mira chimed in helpfully.

"That's true." Ultear sighed almost wistfully. Lucy wondered if _she_ had ever been in a guild, before they were all but nonexistent.

"May we come in?" Jellal asked politely, gesturing behind him at the others. "We have important business to discuss with you."

"It's always something with you, isn't it, Siegrain?" Ultear shook her head, tone implying exasperation.

Jellal scowled. "Don't call me that. That's not who I am anymore."

 _Siegrain?_ Lucy hadn't heard that name before.

"Still so sensitive." Ultear tsked. "Alright, come in, Jellal and friends. This better be worth my while," she warned.

"Don't worry," Jellal said with a smirk, "I think you'll find this to be a most intriguing visit."

* * *

 **A/N: Okay, so not TOO cliffhangery, right? *nervous laugh* I promise I wasn't trying this time. I was trying to leave it so it wouldn't be too frustrating for you guys! So... what do we think about this chapter? Does anyone have any thoughts and/or theories about what will happen next? Theories are always fun XD**

 **Again, I plead for your forgiveness for my lack of updating this story! I hope this makes up for some of that!**

 **Stele.**


	22. Past Connections

**A/N: A little late in the day (sorry!), but I got this done!**

* * *

 **Fairy Tail High**

 **Chapter 22: Past Connections**

Lucy and the others sat around Ultear's living room much in the same way they had in Mira's. Everyone had just dropped into the first seat they found or sat against the wall or in the middle of the floor. Ultear stood—stubbornly, Lucy thought—against the wall near a burning fireplace, arms crossed over her chest and a thoughtful frown set on her lips. They had filled her in on why they had sought her out and were now patiently—or _impatiently_ —waiting for her to say something. Lucy didn't know if she was upset or disappointed that this was the reason they had come; her expression was unreadable. All she could tell was that this woman was deep in thought.

The others remained quiet as they waited, politely looking away from the woman, while still glancing over every few seconds to check for progress. Lucy sat next to Natsu by the fire, their arms just barely touching. The heat from both the fire and Natsu was almost too much for her to bear. She was going to start sweating if she didn't move, but she also didn't want to leave Natsu's side. He made her feel safe, and she was certain that if Ultear agreed to help them, that she wasn't going to feel that way for much longer.

Finally, after what felt like ten _hours_ , Ultear heaved a reluctant sigh. "Fine, I guess I have to help you." Hope, and also fear, surged within Lucy's chest. "But only because it's for _you_ , Jellal, and I owe you. After this, we're even." She cast threatening glare toward Jellal, though the blue-haired boy didn't look phased in the slightest.

He nodded. "Understood. Thank you for your generosity."

"Uncle Jellal!"

Lucy turned as a small, pink-haired girl came tearing into the room and threw herself into Jellal's arms.

"Uncle Jellal, you're here!" she shrieked excitedly, hugging him tightly around the neck to the point Lucy wondered if he could even breathe.

The room was dead silent as everyone gaped at the encounter. Even Erza, who was never phased by anything, stared with wide eyes. Lucy looked over at Natsu, who met her confused gaze with one of his own.

" _Uncle_ Jellal?" she mouthed.

Natsu shrugged as if to say, "hell if I know."

"Meredy!" Ultear shrieked after the shock had worn out. "What are you doing down here? I told you to stay up in your room!"

"But Mooooom," the little girl, Meredy, whined, still clinging to Jellal, "I want to see Uncle Jellal toooo!"

Ultear actually face-palmed. "This is no place for children, Meredy."

"Mom?" Lucy couldn't help but ask in surprise. Ultear couldn't have been much older than them, maybe mid-twenties, and this girl looked to be around ten. Lucy couldn't wrap her head around it.

Ultear scowled at her. "It's not what you think," she said simply.

Lucy didn't know _what_ to think.

"Meredy is not Ultear's biological daughter," Jellal explained, ignoring the death glare he got from Ultear in return. "She found her wandering in the woods one day, alone, close to death, and took her in. She's been with her ever since."

"Where do you fit into that story?" Gray asked.

Jellal shrugged. "I help out when I can. Ultear is a good friend of mine, I told you."

"I did not know your friend had a daughter," Erza said, voice displaying the shock she must have felt.

"So… she's an orphan," Gray stated.

"How tragic!" Mira sniffled dramatically. "You poor thing!" She pulled the girl from Jellal's arms and clutched her to her own chest. Meredy's face displayed surprise at this, but she didn't look entirely uncomfortable. Mira had that effect on people, Lucy thought, based on her brief time with the woman.

"She isn't an orphan," Ultear huffed indignantly as if the idea offended her greatly. It probably did, Lucy realized as she watched the woman's eyes fall on the girl in Mira's arms, and the fondness that showed in them. She cared about this child, that much was obvious. She wouldn't think of her as some orphan off the street. That had to be the real reason why the girl referred to her as 'Mom'. It was a nice thought. It made Lucy miss her own mom.

"Of course not," Jellal assured her. "He didn't mean to be so rude. Please forgive him."

Gray looked like he wanted to say something else, but thought better of it and simply nodded with something like an apologetic expression on his face.

Ultear sighed. "Meredy, please go up to your room. I have to… take care of some things right now."

"Aw, but Mom!" the girl whined, voice muffled where her face was still pressed into Mira's chest.

"No buts!" Ultear pointed toward the stairs. "Move."

Meredy scowled—which was just adorable on a little girl, Lucy thought—extricated herself from Mira's arms, and shuffled up the stairs with dramatic reluctance.

When a door closed—just a little too hard—upstairs, Ultear sighed. "I apologize for that interruption, she's just curious."

"Think nothing of it," Jellal told her reassuringly.

"She's lovely," Mira added fondly.

Ultear cleared her throat as if uncomfortable and then nodded. "Right. We should get started. Lucy, was it?"

Lucy turned toward her at the sound of her name. "Yes?"

"Tell me, how long have you known this boy?" A vague gesture in Natsu's direction.

"Um… only for a few days," she admitted. "Less than a week."

"And you have begun experiencing Bonded ties?"

Lucy blinked. "Um, yes?"

Ultear's lips twitched. "Have you noticed anything… special between you two? Like… anything that feels different than when you're around anyone else? A feeling that sticks out to you, perhaps?"

Lucy thought about it for just a moment, then gave a slow nod. "Yes," she whispered, "I have."

"Describe that to me." Ultear was staring intently into Lucy's eyes, completely focused on her and her alone. Her gaze seemed to shoot straight through into Lucy's very soul.

Lucy thought of how best to answer this question; feelings were not something she expressed in detail. "At first, it was like butterfly wings fluttering inside of my chest, something you might feel with anyone you're—" she cleared her throat and pitched her voice lower in embarrassment, "—attracted to someone."

"At first?" Ultear prodded.

"Yeah… After we had spent some time together, however brief it has been, I began to notice little things." She paused and cast a nervous glance toward Natsu, but he was looking away, into the fire, expression unreadable. "Like, when he would touch me, I'd feel this heat surge within me like nothing I've ever felt before, but at the same time… it was familiar."

Ultear nodded. "Yes. Keep going."

Lucy swallowed. "After we… _kissed_ , I felt something else, too, a pull of some sort. That's all. I can't describe any more." She couldn't possibly utter another syllable in her current embarrassment.

"That's perfect," Ultear whispered. "Now, I want you to take Nasty's hand—"

"Natsu," said Natsu.

"—and just hold it in your lap," she finished, ignoring the correction.

Lucy shrugged and did as she was asked, taking one of Natsu's hands and holding it between both of hers. Natsu squeezed her hand in comfort and offered a small smile.

"Good. Now, close your eyes, both of you." Ultear told them. She brought both of her hands up near her chest and a green orb began to form between them. Lucy had no idea what it was or what it would do, but she obeyed and closed her eyes, hoping and praying to whoever was listening that she wasn't about to get disintegrated or something equally horrific.

"Relax," Ultear instructed them softly. "No harm will come to you. I have perfected Arc of Time. I have never had a failure."

 _Yet,_ Lucy finished silently. Still, she tried to relax her body and mind and not let fear cripple her.

 _You can do this,_ she told herself. _You are strong._

"Good…" Ultear's voice was a mere whisper against her mind, she could _feel_ it, prodding against it softly as if asking permission to enter. Lucy tried to grant her access. She tried to clear her mind and let Ultear guide it to wherever it needed to be. "Open your mind…" the voice whispered.

Lucy took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

 _Open your mind to the past…_

 _Let your soul guide you to where you need to be…_

She felt Natsu's hand stiffen in hers just as a blinding white light pierced her eyelids. She hissed a breath through her teeth as heat seared through her like flame licking up a thin strip of wood, surging upward from her toes all the way up past her closed lids until she felt as if she was nothing more than a pile of ash.

The white light burned bright and then cut off just as soon as it had hit, like a switch being flipped, and Lucy was momentarily plunged into darkness. She realized, though, that was only because her eyes were still closed. She dared a peek out, barely peeling open on eye.

She wasn't in Ultear's strange hidden cottage in the woods. At least, not all of her. Her eyes flew open in surprise. She could see the room around her, but it was as if she was looking through a veil or curtain. It was shimmering slightly and looked like it was coming in and out of focus. The room seemed to change right before her eyes. One minute she was staring through the shimmering veil at Ultear and the others, and the next minute she was being forcibly pulled back and away. It felt like she'd been sucked right out of the scene by a vacuum.

She didn't even realize she had stopped moving because the dizziness was so bad it disoriented her senses for a minute. She stood there, swaying slightly on her feet as nausea and dizziness threatened to push her over.

 _Wait, when did I stand up?_

Lucy blinked against the light and squinted up into bright sunlight over an open courtyard.

"What the fu—"

"Luce!"

Lucy turned and saw Natsu racing toward her from a few yards away. She frowned, wondering how he had gotten so far away. She chewed her lip in thought. She was in a sunny courtyard with Natsu, but she had no idea where the hell they were.

Natsu pulled her into his arms when he reached her. "Damn, that was horrible! Are you alright?"

"I think so…" She thought about it, but didn't feel any pain aside from the slight nausea. "Where do you suppose we are?"

"Outside?" he offered with a shrug.

Lucy rolled her eyes. "I guess we'll just… look around?" She didn't mean for the words to come out as a question, but she was so confused! "I don't know what we're supposed to be looking for, though."

"Ourselves?"

Lucy looked up at the pinkette, at the serious expression he wore, which was so uncharacteristic of him. She nodded slowly. "Yeah… I guess you're right. I wish Ultear had given us a map or something— _anything_ would have been helpful."

"Yeah, or that punk Jellal could have told us something," Natsu added bitterly. "He could have warned us that we would go through a wormhole!"

"I don't think that was a wormhole," Lucy said, "but you're right that a little warning would have been helpful. I knew this was going to be really strange magic, but I had no idea it would literally transport us into the past. At least, what I assume to be the past." She shaded her eyes from the sun and looked back over the courtyard again. "I wonder what year this is…"

Natsu arched an eyebrow at her. "Wow, Luce, you must have hit your head pretty hard if you can't remember what year it is."

She glanced back at him, blinking. Then, understanding hit her and she rolled her eyes. "I don't mean _now,_ Natsu, I meant what year this… memory, or whatever, is supposed to be in."

"Oh." He gave a nervous laugh. "Right…Hey! Let's ask that girl over there!"

"Huh?" Lucy squinted in the direction Natsu was looking. "What girl?"

"The one that—oh."

"What?!"

Natsu's eyes were comically wide when he turned to meet her gaze. "It's you."

* * *

 **Grizzly98,** Thanks XD It's nice to get back to this story after so long. Your continued support means a lot, truly.

 **FairyTailxFanGirl** , XD I'm so happy that you're so excited! I know it's been awhile, so I really appreciate you sticking around with me! I've missed this story, too. I'm excited to show you guys this next part!


	23. Fraternal Selves

**A/N: Alright, I'm going to give you guys this one early because I'm not sure when I'll have time to post tomorrow. Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Fairy Tail High**

 **Chapter 23: Fraternal Selves**

"It's you."

"What?!" Lucy's eyes bugged when she saw the blonde woman walking toward them. "Get down!" She tackled Natsu to the ground so that they were partially hidden in the tall grass and flowers there.

"Ow!" he complained when his chin hit the ground too hard. Lucy shushed him and tried to get a better look at the woman through the tall plains that obviously hadn't been mowed in some time.

She looked to be a little older than Lucy was now, maybe early twenties, with golden hair flowing in waves down her back. She wore a simple coral dress that fell to about her mid calves and had buttons that went up from her waist to her neck where a collar kept the fabric tight. Upon closer inspection, Lucy could just make out some barely discernible stains on the dress skirt. She also noticed that this woman wasn't wearing any shoes.

"Huh, I guess I was a servant girl in this life…" she mused in Natsu's ear.

Natsu arched an eyebrow over at her. "You don't sound too concerned about that."

Lucy shrugged. "Being a rich princess is more of a burden than you'd think."

Natsu shrugged and turned his attention back to the woman as she walked through the grass, humming to herself as she did. She seemed perfectly content just then, with no care in the world.

Lucy studied her face. They didn't look exactly alike, but there were a few similarities. Mostly in the hair and body, but the eyes were the same and so were her cheekbones. They could be sisters or cousins for all anyone else would be able to tell, but it would be impossible to say that they were the same person—if not for that _feeling._

Natsu must have felt it too since he was the first one to recognize her from so far away. Lucy wondered if it was the same feeling he'd gotten when he'd seen her for the first time a few days ago. Maybe it was the same feeling they always got around each other, in every lifetime. More importantly... just how many lifetimes had the two of them lived before this one?

"What should we do?" Natsu whispered. The other Lucy was getting closer but clearly hadn't seen them yet. She appeared to be taking an evening stroll with no real objective in mind other than to simply enjoy the spring air.

"I don't know…" Lucy admitted. "Ultear didn't explain too much about what we were supposed to do here."

"Other than finding ourselves," Natsu pointed out.

"True…"

Natsu suddenly stood up. "Hey, Luce!" he called out to the woman.

"Natsu!" Lucy hissed, still keeping low.

The woman gave a start of surprise and turned toward Natsu. She frowned, looking understandably confused. She glanced around them as if searching for someone, then started back in their direction.

"Oh my God…" Lucy felt like her heart might jump right out of her chest at that moment as her other self came closer and closer.

"Hi," the woman began tentatively as she approached, "can I help you, Sir?"

"You're Lucy, right?" Natsu asked, taking a step closer.

The woman frowned. "No, I'm sorry. My name is Celia. You must have the wrong person."

 _Idiot!_ Lucy thought, resisting the urge to facepalm. _You can't just blurt something like that out!_

"Oh, you're right!" Natsu laughed, but the sound was forced. "This is my Luce!" As if just remembering her presence, he reached down and pulled Lucy up with one hand so that she stood beside him.

Shock registered on Celia's face as she took in Lucy's sudden appearance. Her eyes ran down the length of her quickly and then settled back on her face. "Do I… know you two? You do look strangely familiar…" Her voice trailed off, confusion evident in her tone.

"Um…" Lucy had no idea what she was supposed to say to that.

" _Yeah, I'm you from the future! Well, not_ you _, but another you; a reincarnated version."_

That didn't sound crazy at all.

"This is Lucy," Natsu said when she was unable to form a coherent thought, "and I'm Natsu. We were looking for you!"

"Me?" Celia asked, startled.

"Yeah…" Lucy began slowly, "we wanted to introduce ourselves, and ask you, um, some questions?"

 _Oh my god, I have no idea what to ask!_

Natsu jumped in before her mind could come up with any coherent thoughts. "Do you know any guys?" he asked bluntly. Lucy gave him an incredulous look. Celia simply looked baffled. "Like, a badass, impressively toned jock, maybe?"

Lucy facepalmed. "Is that really how you see yourself?" she muttered.

Celia frowned. "Um, sorry?"

"Maybe someone with pink hair?" Lucy added helpfully.

Celia glanced between the two of them, expression still confused, though now she was giving the impression that she may think the pair might be a little less sane. "Pink? No… I don't know anyone with pink hair, sorry."

Lucy's face fell. _Damn! Maybe she hasn't met him yet?_

"Do you have any other friends?" Natsu pressed.

Now, Celia was starting to look suspicious. Her eyes narrowed a fraction. "I beg your pardon? Why are you two strangers asking me so many questions?"

"We're not strangers!" Lucy burst out, but cut herself off before she blurted out, _I'm you from another life!_

Celia didn't look convinced. "I admit that you do look vaguely familiar, but if you were someone that I knew well enough to be friends with, I would remember. And I'm certain I'd recall someone with pink hair," she added with a pointed look toward Natsu.

He huffed. "It's not pink! It's salmon!"

"Like that's any better," Lucy and Celia muttered in unison. They glanced at each other with the tiniest of smiles.

"Please," Lucy began, now resorting to pleading with the woman, "we could really use your help. We're… not from here."

"Are you travelers?" Celia asked.

"Um, sure." Lucy shrugged. "We came from… far away. We were hoping to meet you and your… um, special friend."

Celia's face registered more surprise. "You don't mean… you two know about Luk?"

"Loooook?" Natsu drug out the name, expression so confused, Lucy almost laughed. It wasn't like it was an uncommon name. "Are you sure it's not something more badass?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"He's kidding," Lucy cut in before the pinkette could say anything more idiotic. "Yes, we know about you and Luk. We just want to talk. Do you have time?"

Celia bit her lip in much the same way that Lucy often did and glanced back toward the enormous house. "Well… I have to get back to work. I shouldn't even be out here. I'm sorry, but I have to go."

"Wait!" Lucy called out as the woman turned and bolted back toward the house, clutching the skirt of her dress in tight fists as she ran. "Now, what?" Lucy kicked at the dirt in frustration.

"Well, was that helpful?" Natsu asked.

Lucy turned on him. "Are you kidding me?! That told us exactly _nothing_ about our relationship! She wouldn't even talk to us!"

"Well, we know she has a special friend who is probably me." Natsu shrugged.

Lucy sighed, letting her momentary burst of anger flow out with the breath. "I guess, but that still doesn't exactly tell us anything. Should we follow her inside?"

"I don't think—oh God."

Just as Natsu started to answer, the world around them started to shift. The bright blue sky began to darken and the grass around them turned brown and shriveled. The expansive estate home before them morphed into what looked like a small shack that was being held together by nothing sturdier than dental floss by the looks of it. It visibly swayed in the gusts of wind that smashed against it time and time again.

"What the—" Natsu began.

"Where the hell are we?!" Lucy shrieked as fierce winds nearly blew her away. She struggled to stay on her feet, which was made harder by the tall wedges she still wore. She cursed herself yet again for not wearing something more practical.

"In the middle of a storm?" Natsu offered. "Man, this is a bad one too!"

"What?!" Lucy shouted over the roar of the wind.

"Huh?" Natsu shouted back, frowning over at her. "Did you say something?"

"What did you say?" Lucy couldn't make out a single word he was saying, and he was right next to her! She was starting to feel scared now. The sky was black. The trees were whipping around so hard they were nearly bent clean in half, and Lucy could barely stay on her feet.

Natsu grabbed her upper arm as her feet slipped and she was nearly taken away by the force of the wind.

"We have to get out of this storm!" Natsu yelled, but Lucy couldn't hear him. She clung to him like a vise as he pulled her toward the shack-like home. Each step was a struggle and took three times as long, even with his long legs and Dragon-Slayer strength.

It took what felt like an hour just to reach the door. Natsu looked like he wanted to kick the thing open, but resisted at the last moment, instead turning the knob and pushing against it with his shoulder. The door flew inward and Natsu pulled her inside before trying to force the door back in place. It took the effort of both he and Lucy before they could slowly close the door. It held, surprisingly, even as the wind seemed to beat against it with angry fury.

"Oh my god," Lucy moaned. She was bent at the waist, hands on her knees, chest heaving with the effort to pull air back into her lungs. "Oh my God."

"Yeah," Natsu agreed breathlessly. "That was a close one. How the hell did we get here?"

"I'd like to know the same thing," a new voice said.

"Eek!" Lucy gave a girly shriek and jumped two feet in the air. She spun around so fast her neck popped and she saw stars dancing in her vision for a moment. She blinked them away, clutching onto Natsu's shoulder for support as her vision cleared.

"Who are _you_?" Natsu bellowed in what she assumed was supposed to be an intimidating tone, however, coming from Natsu, it sounded more like the male version of the shriek Lucy had just let out.

When her eyes adjusted, Lucy could just make out a man standing in the shadows a few feet away; he couldn't get much farther than that, seeing as the shack was fairly small. He had a mop of dark hair that seemed to stick up every which way, similarly to Natsu's mane actually, though, where Natsu was thick with muscle, this man was skinny as a rail. He looked malnourished, like a twig that was ready to break in half if someone so much as sneezed his way. She could clearly see his ribs jutting out from behind his dirty, ripped t-shirt. Lucy couldn't help but wonder how the wind didn't blow him clear across the country.

"I am Luk," the man said. "Want to tell me what the heck ya'll are doing in my house?" Lucy detected a strong southern drawl to this man's voice, leading her to believe they had ended up somewhere south.

"...house?" Lucy muttered, thinking only Natsu would be able to hear, but the man, Luk, turned a glare her way.

"Don't like my accommodations, little girl?" he asked in an indignant tone. "Why, I'm offended. Here I put so much effort into welcoming guests into my home, and they're both so dang rude, they can't even bother to so much as offer up their first names, much less _knock_."

Lucy felt her cheeks get hot. "Oh, I'm sorry! I'm Lucy, and this is my… um, friend, Natsu. We're from… er…"

"We just came from Celia's place," Natsu blurted.

 _Idiot!_ Lucy silently screamed at him. She had recognized the name Celia had given them right away but, unlike Natsu, she had been aiming for subtlety.

The man arched an eyebrow. "Celia, huh? She send you here to check on me?"

"Something like that," Lucy said flatly. Actually, they hadn't been given a choice in the matter, but who needed to get into specifics?

"Are you a Dragon Slayer?!" Natsu burst out, eyes wide with something like excitement.

"Natsu!" Lucy shrieked.

"What?" He gave her a confused look.

"You idiot!" she hissed.

Luk snorted. "You two act just like… Well, never mind." He waved it off. "Anyway, how do you know of such things, boy?"

Natsu paled a little under Luk's gaze, which was significantly more intense than his. Luk couldn't have been more than twenty-five at the oldest, but she supposed compared to them that would seem like a huge age gap.

"We have magic, too," Lucy began quietly. Natsu had dug them into this hole, and now it was up to her to get them back out. "We know a lot about different kinds of magic."

Luk's eyebrow rose once again. "That so? Last I heard, little girls didn't get magical abilities."

"..."

 _What?_

Lucy frowned, momentarily baffled. What century had they found themselves in where women didn't practice magic? Lucy couldn't remember ever hearing about such a thing. Maybe it was frowned upon? Was this the magic version of an anti-feminist society?

"She's kidding!" Natsu gave a forced laugh and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She guessed this was to either help with whatever act he was trying to put on, or to protect her from what he perceived as a potential threat. Maybe both. "She's just my… sidekick! You know, like… uh…" He scratched the back of his head and frowned.

 _Real convincing, Natsu,_ Lucy thought and resisted to urge to roll her eyes.

"Ooh." Luk laughed low. "I get it. She's _that_ type of sidekick." He winked at Lucy, who only frowned harder, if that was even possible.

 _So the Natsu in this life is more of a perv than the one in my time. Interesting…_

"Yeah!" Natsu agreed with a grin that clearly said 'I have no idea what you just said'.

Another hard gust of wind smacked against the walls of the shack so hard it rattled Luk's few meager belongings. A plastic cup clattered to the floor and rolled toward Lucy and Natsu. A few bottles also rolled across the floor and banged against the wall behind them, clinking against one another. The three-stick candle holder sitting near the window tilted and the melted wax put out the flames, casting them in darkness.

"Ah, shit!" Luk cursed.

Lucy waited for his hand to catch fire, for the candles to come back to life, but nothing happened.

"Natsu…" she murmured under her breath, pressing instinctively closer to him. His arm tightened around her, just as another gust blew against the shack, and ripped the walls clean off.

* * *

 **A/N:** Why "Celia?" I chose the name 'Celia' to represent Lucy's former life because… well, just because "Lu-see" "Lu-see-lee-uh" "See-lee-uh." So… not much thought went into that one, honestly, but it sounded right for her. *shrugs*

Why "Luk?" Luk was actually a name I spent time searching for. The French translation for "Light" is "Lux" which is pronounced "loox" which sounds exactly like "Luke's." So, rather than use a girly name like "Lux" (if any of you have seen Life Unexpected, you'll recall the main character's name is "Lux" pronounced exactly as it looks), I changed it to "Luke" and cut out the 'e' to give it a more masculine feel.)

 **FairyTailxFanGirl** , I'm excited for you all to see tooooooo!

 **MorriganFae** , Why? Because it keeps you lovely readers guessing and coming back to see if your theories are correct XD The cliffhangers add suspense, which makes you come back for more.

 **Grizzly98** , Good to see you around, my friend. Forgive me for not reviewing yours of late, I've been jam packed with life and all that it entails. I'll get back to it!

 **Meow Orbit** , I'm trying my best! XD So far, so good!

 **sassykitten1701** , Lolol, I update Friday's! Sorry for the wait!

 **CupcakeTiara** , Aww thanks! I think Natsu and Lucy in this world are super cute and fluffy and just fun to write! Their relationship isn't relly complicated or heavy yet, so that's nice. I like the "teenage love" aspect of it, it makes it all the more adorable!


	24. Goddess of the Moon

**A/N: Hey, guys! I'm SO SORRY I didn't get this up last week! I have no excuse except for terrible writer's block... so please forgive me and accept this extra long chapter as an apology XD**

* * *

 **Fairy Tail High**

 **Chapter 24: Goddess of the Moon**

Lucy screamed as a feeling akin to skin being ripped from bones spread over her, the pain almost too much to bear. As the shack walls were blown completely off the foundation of the flimsy structure, Lucy and Natsu, too, were thrust away with the gust. They clung to one another tightly as the wind carried them into the air and whipped them around like they weighed no more than a fallen leaf.

Lucy couldn't say how long they were lost in the wind like that—it could have been seconds or hours, she didn't know—but suddenly she found herself blinking against harsh light, her back flat on the ground. She wasn't exactly in pain, but her body did feel strange like it was trying to decide which part of it hurt.

"Ow," she groaned, bringing a hand up to shield her eyes from the blinding glare.

"Eugh, so dizzy!" Natsu moaned beside her.

She turned her head to look at him, squinting as her eyes tried to adjust. "What happened?"

"A twister?" he offered with a shrug.

"I don't think so…" Her voice trailed off as she tried to come up with a reasonable solution to all the craziness of this adventure.

 _Adventure? More like nightmare._

"This is a nightmare," she grumbled aloud, scowling at the shiny surface of the floor. "Wait." She did a double-check, eyes bugging out. "Now, where are we?!"

Natsu frowned, eyes scanning the high-domed ceiling, the gold and white marble floors. A gold crystal chandelier hung overhead, burning with dozens of bright bulbs.

"I...have no idea," he finally said.

"Who are you?" asked a new voice.

"Not again," Lucy mumbled under her breath, but when she turned around it was a very familiar face she found. Tears sparkled in her eyes. "Mother," she breathed, then quickly scrambled to her feet.

"Your mom?" Natsu whispered, rising as well.

Of course he would hear that…

The woman wore a tattered gown that Lucy thought was supposed to be blue but was actually more brown. Her hair was still blonde but it was more of a faded, sad color than the golden halo Lucy was used to. Her face, while still striking, was creased with age and years of sadness. She had lived a hard life, Lucy could tell.

"Y-You're Layla?" She couldn't stop herself from asking the question, yet she couldn't make her voice rise above a whisper.

The woman frowned. "I'm sorry, dear, but I think you must have me mistaken for someone else. My name is Selene."

"Selene…" Lucy mused. The name suited her, she thought. "Like, the goddess of the moon?"

Selene smiled. "That's right."

'Layla' had a similar meaning, Lucy knew. Her mother used to tell her stories of how her grandmother had given her the name. 'Night,' or 'dark-beauty'. Layla had been born in the dead of night, under the full moon. She'd told Lucy how her mother hadn't been afraid that night because she knew the moon goddess was watching over her and her child.

"That's a nice name," Lucy told her.

"What is your name, dear?" Selene asked.

"Lucy."

"Lucy… how lovely." The woman smiled wider, making wrinkles appear around her lips and eyes.

 _Laugh lines…_

Perhaps Lucy had been wrong. This version of her mother may have lived a hard life, but she wasn't miserable at all—she was happy, just like her mother had been. Lucy had the sudden, desperate urge to wrap her arms around this woman, to feel the safety of her embrace like she used to when her mother had been alive.

She cleared her throat and turned slightly away to hide the tears in her eyes. She swiped them away with a hand before turning back. "Do you… happen to know Celia?"

Her eyes widened just a fraction. "You know my daughter?"

So Lucy had been right, this woman was her mother in another life.

"Yeah," Natsu answered slowly, "we know her. Is she around?"

"...yes," Selene answered after a pause, "Celia is here. She's working in the kitchens today."

"Kitchens?" Natsu asked with an eager smile.

Selene smiled. "Yes. Come, I'll take you to her."

As they were walking, Natsu murmured in Lucy's ear. "Do you think your other self will feed us? I'm starving!"

Lucy glowered up at him.

He held up his hands in silent surrender.

"I don't think I've seen the two of you around here before," Selene said conversationally as she led the pair down a long hallway with ornate golden patterns on the cream walls. The carpet was a scarlet red with more gold pattern-work along the edges. Everything Lucy laid eyes on screamed 'money'. It actually reminded her a lot of her mansion back home, which gave her an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. That, and the simple fact that if Layla was here… Jude was probably lurking somewhere as well. Lucy wondered what her father would be like in this strange universe where he was a poor man rather than a rich snob as she'd always known him to be.

"Um, we don't frequent such lavish environments," Lucy told her. This was mostly true, she thought. While she and Natsu did not belong in this particular time in history, parts of them still lived on here, so she didn't feel like it was a total lie.

"Hey!" Natsu exclaimed in offense. "Don't insult our BOO!"

Lucy face-palmed. _Shut up, Natsu! This isn't the time to defend your base._

"Boo?" Selene asked, quirking an eyebrow in confusion.

Lucy gave a nervous laugh. "Just ignore him, everyone does." When Selene turned her back to them again, Lucy shot Natsu a glare.

 _What?_ he mouthed with a frown.

"Here we are." Selene (Lucy would never get used to referring to a woman who looked so much like her mother—someone who _felt_ so much like the mother she'd grown up with—as someone else), stopped in front of a double set of tall, ornately carved doors. "She should be just about finished with lunch clean-up, so you can go right in and say hello—but don't stay for too long because she tends to procrastinate and she needs to get ready to begin dinner preparations." Layla added this last part with what Lucy thought was supposed to be a stern expression, but it didn't really match the kind look in her eyes. It almost made her smile—it was a look her mother had always struggled to achieve as well.

 _Another thing they have in common,_ she couldn't help but think fondly as the elder woman turned and began making her way back the way they'd come. Lucy watched her wistfully for a moment, half wishing that she could run after her.

Natsu reached out and took her hand in his, giving it a reassuring squeeze. He smiled when she met his gaze. _It will be okay, Luce,_ he mouthed, and despite everything, she believed him.

The pair pushed through the doors into the kitchen and straight into…

 _A dance party?_

Lucy gaped as she watched Celia spinning around the kitchen to the beat of some country song she wasn't familiar with, completely unaware of the intrusion that was Lucy and Natsu. The music was deafeningly loud, and Lucy would have been surprised that the noise couldn't be heard on the other side of the door, had she not lived in a mansion-type home herself. The kitchen was completely soundproofed in order to keep the ruckus of meal prep and clean-up inside and not disturb the family. Lucy had thought that this was a personal preference of her father's, as he had been an impatient man all his life, but now she thought that perhaps this was just something wealthy people did.

Lucy watched as her other self danced around happily, wondering briefly if it was rude of her to be witnessing what was obviously a private moment here. Lucy certainly wasn't much of a dancer herself—sure, she'd endured countless lessons all her life in all the proper ways for a respectable Heartfilia woman to dance—but never anything quite like this. The way Celia danced… it was freeing. She looked happy and alive, two things Lucy hadn't felt much while growing up. She wondered, as she often had in the years after her mother's death, what it would have been like to grow up poor.

 _I guess I did live this life at one time,_ she realized. Celia was proof of that. Lucy had lived a charmed life, but Celia had lived a fairy tale of her own.

Lucy knew the moment the other girl finally noticed their presence. Her eyes—the same chocolate brown as Lucy's—widened to saucers and her mouth dropped open. She'd frozen mid-spin and nearly fell to the ground in her surprise. She stumbled but managed to catch herself before toppling ungracefully to the floor. She said something Lucy didn't catch over the loud music, then turned and disappeared behind a corner. A moment later, the music shut off and Celia came rushing back around the corner, cheeks red with what Lucy assumed was either embarrassment or rage.

"Y-You two—" her voice cracked at the end. She cleared her throat and tried again. "What are you doing here?!" she hissed at them, eyes flicking back and forth between them.

 _Definitely rage,_ Lucy decided.

"Um…" She tried to think how best to approach this—a way that wouldn't make Celia call the cops on them—or worse, a psychiatric hospital.

 _If Luk knows about magic, surely Celia does too? If I just explain, she'll understand!_

 _...Right?_

"Um…" she tried again.

This time, Celia sighed and folded her arms across her chest. "Come on, spit it out. If you came all this way just to talk to me, you might as well get it out now."

Now Lucy was the one to become flushed, but before she could say anything stupid like, ' _hey, I'm you from another time, tell me what I did to screw up the future,'_ Natsu suddenly gasped. Both girls' gazes turned toward the pinkette as he sprang forward.

"Natsu, what are you—?" Lucy started, then stopped and gaped as he began to demolish a plate of ribs right before their eyes.

"Hey! Don't eat those!" Celia shrieked at him. "Those are left over for the staff's lunch!"

"'m juff gom haf om," Natsu said through a mouthful of food.

"Excuse me?" Celia looked horrified at the sight of the pinkette stuffing his face.

"He said he's just going to have one," Lucy translated with a glower in Natsu's direction. Turning back to her past self, she gave a weak smile. "I'm really sorry about him, but there's really no stopping him now." This much she had gathered in the week she'd known him.

Celia's glare softened. "I know someone like that too. Once he starts eating there's no stopping him until he's done."

"You mean Luk?" Lucy asked.

Celia nodded. "Yes. He will occasionally come by the estate when I am on breaks or Dr. and Mrs. Williams are out of the country on holiday or an extended business trip."

"Do they… do that a lot?" Lucy wondered. She was curious about how often Celia and Luk actually got to see one another. Lucy had never had a boyfriend or even friends when she was living at her father's estate. Likewise, she hadn't been a worker at said estate, she had been a daughter, so there weren't many things about Celia's situation that she could relate to.

The other woman frowned in thought. It was so strange, Lucy thought as she waited for Celia to speak, to see herself as an older woman. Celia couldn't have been too much older than Lucy was now, but she had aged enough that some of Lucy's youthful features had started to change into an older woman's.

"Not particularly," Celia finally said. She was still frowning and Lucy wondered if she had something else on her mind besides holiday trips.

"Is… everything okay, Celia?" she asked tentatively.

The other woman met her gaze with a sad one of her own. "You two know Luk, right? I have neither seen nor heard from him in weeks now… He's never gone so long without getting word to me before. I'm worried that something might have happened to him. Have either of you seen him, by chance?"

"Ve shaw him jush now," Natsu tried to say.

"What?" Celia frowned.

"Wait… You mean you haven't seen him at all for _weeks_?"

"Yes…" Celia answered slowly. "Why?"

 _Because if that's the case,_ Lucy thought, _then the Luk we saw just now was probably just a shadow of himself; a flickering memory of Celia's past._

 _Oh my god…_

Lucy wondered if Luk had even made it out of that storm. It had been bad, really bad, and the only reason she and Natsu had gotten out unscathed had been because of the spell Ultear had on them. Or, she assumed that was the reason. Luk didn't have anyone to pull him into a new memory. If the storm had gotten him…

Panic started to bubble up inside of her at the idea. "Celia, how far does Luk live from here?"

Celia frowned. "I don't know… I've never been to his home before. He always comes here."

 _Hmm._

"How did you two meet?"

A flickering smile flashed across Celia's face. "He saved my life one day."

"Did he buy you some food?" Natsu asked seriously.

Both women ignored him.

"What happened?" Lucy asked.

"I was returning home after a long day of work," Celia explained, "when I began to feel uneasy like someone was following me. At first, I was sure that I was imagining things—we lived in a fairly safe town at the time that had an almost nonexistent crime record—but then I heard footsteps—boots.

"I picked up my pace and turned the first corner I saw to lose whoever was following me, but I must have gotten lost in my panic. Instead of turning down a street I thought to be one over from Main, I ended up running down an alley—with a dead end."

Lucy shivered at the images Celia's words brought into her mind. She could picture every detail as if she had lived it herself—which she supposed she kind of had.

"I didn't realize that the alley I'd turned down ended until I smacked face-first into a brick wall," Celia continued. "I think I must have blacked out for a moment because the next thing I knew I was on the ground and a shadowy figure was leaning over me. It was dark so I couldn't see his face, only the gleam of his teeth in the moonlight and the glint of silver.

"I tried to scream but panic had seized control of my vocal chords and nothing came out except for something strangled or choked—I was terrified. I remember pinching my eyes shut hard and waiting for death to come… but then, miracle of miracles, it didn't. I heard a grunt of pain and when I opened my eyes again, Luk was standing there." Celia smiled wistfully now. "I knew, even without having ever met him before that moment, that he was safe—that _I_ was safe. I just… felt it inside of my very soul."

Lucy worked to keep the shocked expression off of her face—not because she was surprised at Celia's words, but because she _wasn't._ It was exactly how she'd felt upon first meeting Natsu. Hadn't she trusted him too easily and too quickly? Didn't she feel as if she'd known him her whole life, even though they'd only met less than a week ago?

 _Bonded._

 _Soulmates._

"That's… some story," Lucy finally managed to get out.

Celia glanced back over at her and blinked several times as if coming back to the present. Lucy understood the feeling. "I'm sorry… I don't know why I just told you all of that. No one knows that story… not even my mother. I'm… it's not permitted."

Lucy frowned. "What's not?"

"Mine and Luk's relationship… it's forbidden," Celia whispered. "If my father ever found out that I was with someone like him…" Her face paled at the thought.

 _So Jude isn't just an ass in_ my _lifetime…_

"You can talk to me," Lucy told her gently. "I'd really like to know what happened next—with you and Luk, I mean."

"...why?" Celia's tone wasn't exactly suspicious, but it was close to it.

"Don't you feel it?" Lucy whispered. Celia frowned deeply. "This connection we share! Celia… you know it's true. Can't you feel it?" Lucy knew she had to sound desperate now, maybe even a little insane, but she couldn't help it! She couldn't take it anymore! She needed answers; she needed Celia to tell her about their shared past.

Celia stiffened and looked on the verge of bolting. She cast a suspicious glower her way. "I...I don't know what you think you're talking about but I'm certain I know nothing of this _feeling_ you speak of!"

"Oh, come on, Ceels." Natsu draped an arm across the woman's shoulders. He still held a huge chicken leg in his free hand and was simultaneously stuffing his face and trying to sound convincing. Celia narrowed her eyes at the nickname but otherwise didn't move as Natsu spoke to her. "Look at that beautiful girl over there and tell me you don't feel something—anything!"

 _Beautiful…_ Lucy's cheeks reddened at the word.

Celia's glare was replaced with surprise as her eyes traveled over Natsu once, then back to Lucy. They seemed to narrow, though more in speculation now as if she were searching for some physical evidence of Lucy's claim. Lucy knew the moment Celia picked up on the connection. Her eyes flashed with understanding and her mouth dropped open. Her knees started to buckle, but Natsu kept a steady hand on her arm.

"Whoa there, you're alright." He grinned down at her.

Celia's gaze searched Lucy's almost frantically now. "I… what is this feeling? Who _are_ you?"

Lucy's eyes flicked over to Natsu but he was too invested in his food to pay attention to her. She turned back to Celia. "I'm… Lucy Heartfilia and I'm…" she swallowed the lump in her throat, "I'm you from another time."

Celia's eyes bugged and her jaw nearly hit the floor. "Y-You're… _what?_ Like, me from the future? But… you're just a girl!"

 _Right…_

Lucy shook her head. "That's not exactly what I meant…" She tried to briefly explain the whole 'Bonded' and 'Soulmate' thing as best she could without saying too much. She told her about Ultear and how she had sent Lucy and Natsu into their past

She tried to briefly explain the whole 'Bonded' and 'Soulmate' thing as best she could without saying too much. She told her about Ultear and how she had sent Lucy and Natsu into their past lifetime but didn't tell her the reason. Ultear had warned them not to tell their past selves anything about the future because it could potentially change things. Even if they were technically 'good' changes, any minute difference could shift their entire universe.

"Oh my god…" Celia breathed. She was sitting in a chair in the kitchen, face buried in her hands. She'd been that way for some time now, though Lucy knew she was still listening. She understood how overwhelming all of this must be for her.

"I know," Lucy agreed. "So I just had to come and meet you for myself."

Celia looked up, gaze shifting between Lucy and Natsu who was now passed out in a chair. "It's just so hard to believe," she murmured, "but at the same time, it makes so much sense. I can feel it, that connection. It sounds crazy, but I really do believe you, Lucy. I hope that I can offer you some insight—whatever it is you need."

Lucy smiled. "Thanks, Celia."

"Lucy," Celia spoke up before she had the chance to ask her next question, "I have to ask… how do I go and visit you, as you have done for me?"

Lucy blinked, momentarily too confused to offer up a response. "I… You mean, come to the future?" Celia nodded. "That's… I don't think that's possible, Celia, I'm sorry."

Her face fell. "Really? I know about magic, but I don't know anything about Arc of Time… What exactly does this mean?"

Lucy tried to come up with an explanation for her, but the truth was, Lucy didn't know much about it either. She'd come into this experience completely naïve.

"Well…" she began slowly, carefully considering each word, "Can you ever see your future… or only your past?"

Celia sucked in a sharp breath. "Yes," her voice a whisper, "that makes sense."

Lucy started to smile but it turned into a frown when Celia's features started to become blurry and unfocused. "Celia?" Lucy tried to call out to her, but it was as if she was suddenly speaking through water, the sound garbled and unintelligible. She could see Celia through the ripples frantically searching around for something.

 _Or someone._

 _Me._

Lucy clawed at the imaginary thread of time between them, desperately trying to grasp onto it before it slipped away. She could feel it—feel herself being pulled back through the wormhole of time—and away from her past.

"CELIA~!"

* * *

 **A/N:** A HUUUUUUUGE thank you to my darling friend, _MorriganFae_ who helped me finish up this chapter. Without her, I'm not sure I could have gotten this done even now. She gave me a lot of encouragement and advice, and some help with dialogue and ideas as well! So thank you, Morrigan! You were a ginormous help!

 **FairyTailxFanGirl** , Lolol, truuuueeee XD They're still THEM, just a little tweak here and there. I tried not to make them completely different from themselves.

 **Grizzly98** , Hm. Well, I've never read that story, but I have seen those names before in one fanfiction story. I try to be different! I think these names worked, so thank you!


	25. Threads of Time

**A/N: Hello, lovely readers~! Stele here with another chapter of FTH! At last! I know, you've all been anxiously awaiting the next chapter—I deeply apologize for my crappy updating lately! I think that is about to change, however... I have pulled in a fellow reader and friend of mine, MorriganFae, to help me out with this story. From now on, she will be co-writing with me, so everyone be extra nice! She helped me out AFREAKINGLOT with this chapter (seriously, a lot). She's a really beautiful writer and I am excited to have her on this journey with me!**

* * *

 **Fairy Tail High**

 **Chapter 25: Threads of Time**

 _A brilliant white light, hotter than flame, encompasses my body to the point I am certain I will bleed into it, become one with the light—with the pain. I try to scream, but when I open my mouth no sound comes out._

Natsu… I have to find Natsu!

 _The white light is getting brighter, hotter, heavier, weighing me down until I feel like it will crush me._

"...cy?"

 _A sound penetrates the white nothingness, but I am unable to go to it. I cannot find the voice! I try to open my eyes—to_ see _, but my body does not obey my commands. I am frozen; I am nothing._

 _This feeling… reminds me of another, when I was stuck in Midnight's thrall. Perhaps… I am still there? Maybe all of the events that have happened since we beat him have been but a dream he put into my head. Am I still inside the nightmare that man created? Will I ever escape?_

"Lu….cy!"

 _Again, that voice. Familiar… welcome—like a soft breeze on a warm spring afternoon. I feel it trying to wrap around me, to pull me from this hell, but I still can't meet it._

I'm sorry _, I think to the voice,_ I can't go to you _…_

"I will find you… Keep thinking… Don't… stop…"

 _Keep thinking? I can't think! The pain… it's everywhere. How do I escape it? How do I free myself?_

 _Natsu… think about Natsu._

 _Pink hair; green eyes; tanned skin; warm touch… Soft lips…_

"Lucy… open your eyes…"

 _Hands on my skin, stroking lightly, warm and strong and—_

"Luce!"

Her eyes flew open and her body gave a hard jerk. Pink hair and dark green eyes looked down at her, face full of concern.

"Lucy, are you okay?"

 _Lucy… right, my name._

She sat up with a wince of pain; her head throbbed something fierce. "Ow." She rubbed at her temples.

"Do you know who you are?" Came another voice, this one female, soft and melodic.

"Lucy," she answered after a moment.

"Do you know where you are?" The voice prompted.

"I…" _Do I?_ She glanced around her, saw Natsu, as well as Mira who had been the one to speak, Makarov, Erza, Jellal, Gray, and… Ultear all looking at her with mirroring expressions of concern. "Oh. Ultear, what happened? Why am I back here? I need to go back! I have to talk to Celia—!"

"Hush now," Mira shushed her gently and placed a hand on her arm.

"I have to get back there!" she insisted. She tried to stand but was pushed back by Mira and Natsu.

"You need to relax," Mira told her. "You were out cold for a good five minutes."

"I was?" She couldn't remember that… had she passed out? Wait… Yes, the white light, the hot wave that crushed her. She groaned. "I think I'm going to be sick…"

"Are you certain?" Mira asked in concern.

Nausea rolled inside of her, threatening to become a real issue, but she forced it down with some deep breaths. Her stomach was knotted in anxiety, her face felt flushed with heat. Her eyes screwed shut as she concentrated on simply breathing.

 _In…and out. In...and...out, in...and out._ She opened her eyes slowly. She blinked several times, registering those around her. With legs gone to rubber, she tried to stand, but her knees buckled. A tanned hand quickly reached out, grabbing her arm, supporting her as she found her footing.

"Natsu…" She gave a shaky smile and leaned closer and wrapped her arm around his waist, needing support, yes, but mostly wanting the comfort of his solid body next to hers. Everything in her head felt surreal yet far too real, like a nightmare she had yet to completely wake from. Natsu felt real. Natsu _was_ real. She could feel their bond connecting them, anchoring her to this place.

Natsu slung his arm around her shoulders and Lucy found her other arm snaking up to wrap around his firm torso, her hands joining at his waist to hold him closer. Her eyes fluttered closed as she breathed in his campfire scent.

"Ahem." Gray cleared his throat loudly.

Lucy opened her eyes, finally registering her and Natsu weren't alone—not by a long shot. She resisted the urge to pout. It was far too easy to get trapped in a bubble with this pink-haired boy.

 _You okay?_ Natsu's glance seemed to ask her.

 _I'm okay._ She smiled up at him. His easy grin back caused her heart to stutter.

"Have you suffered a blow to the head?" Erza queried, her domineering voice cutting through Lucy's thoughts.

"What?" Lucy pulled her thoughts away from Natsu.

"Your recovery seems to be exceedingly slow, I merely wished to know if you suffered an injury that may account for your disorientation," Erza asked smoothly.

Mira fixed the requip mage with a sharp glare. "Oh? How many times have you traveled to a past life, Erza?" Mira arched her brow at the redhead.

"I was merely expressing my concern for Lucy here." Erza crossed her arms in front of her chest.

Jellal stepped forward between the love of his life and the silver-haired take-over mage.

"You're both right." His glance darted between the women. "We have never seen this magic before," he nodded towards Mira, "and Lucy took far longer than Natsu did to regain consciousness," he conceded to Erza.

 _I did?_ Lucy peeked up at Natsu for confirmation. Natsu let out a warning growl at Jellal, his arm tightening around her protectively.

"Tell us what happened, child," Makarov said kindly. He offered her a chair, but Lucy shook her head, not wanting to let go of Natsu.

She looked around at each pair of eyes in the room, all showing concern—for _her._ A lump raised in her throat and she felt the corners of her eyes glisten with tears. She felt her chin being raised, Natsu's hand lifting to brush the hair off her face. His long fingers caressed her cheek.

"You alright, Luce?" he asked tenderly.

"I'm just…" she searched for the right word, "overwhelmed. I've never had so many people care about me before."

Gray stepped forward. "That's what it means to be part of our gang. We will always protect our friends."

Everyone in the room nodded in agreement, save Ultear who simply looked away. Lucy felt a few tears slipping down her cheeks. Natsu's warm hand gently brushed them away, his emerald eyes radiating warmth and a deeper emotion she couldn't describe.

"Tell us what happened," Ultear urged, not unkindly.

Lucy told them all she could remember about Celia, about the bond and how Celia had seemed comfortable talking with her almost immediately. Natsu added the few things he had observed, such as how scared Celia had looked when they first mentioned Luk. When she'd finished talking, she broke free of Natsu's hold, walking to Ultear.

"Why did you bring me back? I haven't gotten all the answers I need from Celia!" Her voice desperate, her eyes pleading.

To her utter consternation, Ultear tilted her head to the side, looking equally confused.

"I didn't pull you back, your own body did," she said.

"What do you mean?" Lucy asked.

"Souls aren't meant to travel to past lives. It's only your soul bond with Natsu that allows such a thing. The body gets… anxious, shall we say when the soul leaves, even if it's only for a few seconds."

"Wait? How long were we out?"

"A minute, maybe two?"

"It felt like hours."

Natsu cleared his throat and admitted sheepishly, "I didn't really feel much of anything."

"How is that possible?" Lucy turned to him in surprise. She had felt everything so strongly, she couldn't understand how Natsu hadn't.

"Did you ever feel time passing?" Ultear asked, frowning in thought.

Natsu shrugged, indifferent. "Sometimes."

Lucy's eyes sparked with something like wonder. "Yes, I felt it! I was there! Natsu, _you_ were there!"

Natsu scratched his neck underneath his white scarf and shrugged. "I was there, but I didn't _feel anything._ I don't know why. Maybe because I'm a Dragon Slayer."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Erza demanded.

Gray rolled his eyes. "Oh, you think that's the answer to everything, don't you, ash breath?"

"That has nothing to do with it," Ultear voice cut through the others. She cautiously approached Natsu. He tilted his head in curiosity but stayed silent as she reached out and held his wrist.

"There's something here. I can feel…" Ultear trailed off.

"Feel what?" Natsu was getting annoyed at this cryptic woman.

"Turmoil."

"What are you talking about?" Natsu growled.

"There's so much light in your soul right now, but I can feel a blackness; something buried deep, but old, hidden within." Ultear fixed him with a piercing stare. "I can't see everything, but I know there's something lying dormant inside of you. Curled up; torpid, but waiting."

"The hell does that mean? Are you weird?" Natsu tugged at his scarf, looking down at Ultear.

Lucy was losing patience. So what if Natsu couldn't feel what she had felt? She was crushing hard on the guy, but everyone knew he was a bit dense. "I need to see Celia again! I want to know how the soul bond works! If I could just talk to her…"

Lucy felt the words dry up in her throat. Ultear's look was a warning. That look meant danger. Lucy froze like a woodland rabbit, ears pricked, waiting.

Ultear narrowed her eyes at the younger girl. "I must have failed to warn you how dangerous it is to muck about with _time,"_ she hissed.

"But—" Lucy tried.

"No, Lucy. You do not understand the severity of this magic!" Her tone was urgent.

"Then explain it to us, please," Jellal requested.

Ultear nodded. "Let me tell you a story."

"Like, a bedtime story?" Natsu deadpanned. Lucy glowered at him. He shrugged.

"This isn't the first time I have helped someone dig into their past," Ultear continued, ignoring Natsu. "A few years ago, a small girl was brought to me. She was no older than thirteen at the time, though her frail appearance made her look much younger."

"What was wrong with her?" Gray asked, folding his arms over his chest as he leaned against the wall.

"She… had a rough childhood," Ultear answered vaguely. "That is not the point. This girl was brought to me by an old friend of mine. He begged me to help her—to look into her past."

"What the hell for?" Natsu asked. Lucy shushed him.

"She had a severe case of amnesia," Ultear snapped. "She… looked to be poorly mistreated, also."

"This friend of yours…" Lucy began uneasily.

Ultear shook her head. "The fault did not lay with him. He found this girl one night in a pile of rubble, half dead."

Mira and Lucy both gasped.

"That's… horrible…" Mira breathed. "Who would do such a thing to an innocent child?"

"That was the question," Ultear agreed. "My… friend, wanted me to find out who had done this and, more importantly, _why._ "

"And were you able to reach into her past?" Jellal prompted.

Ultear's expression was grave. "I… was, and I wasn't."

Natsu scoffed. "What does that even mean?"

"You were able to access her memories, but you did not like what you saw," Jellal guessed.

"Something like that." Ultear sighed heavily. "I cannot see everything in the same way that the person whose past I am trying to uncover will, but I do get glimpses—flashes of colors and sounds."

"What happened?" Lucy whispered. A sense of dread shrouded her as she took in the woman's words. She could tell from her expression alone that something horrible must have happened to this girl.

 _Thirteen… What could possibly be in this child's past that has Ultear so somber?_

"I cannot give voice to the things I saw," Ultear murmured.

"I'm getting real tired of the way you talk, lady," Natsu groused.

"Natsu, don't be so rude!" Lucy hissed, smacking him lightly in the chest.

He grumbled something unintelligible under his breath. Everyone in the room pointedly ignored him, their focus entirely on Ultear.

"It is not something I can discuss in detail," Ultear insisted, glowering at the pinkette. "I had only used Arc of Time a handful of times prior to this and wasn't confident in my abilities to successfully enter this child's mind without repercussions. However," she took a deep breath as if steeling herself to continue, "my friend was insistent so I decided to at least try, for his sake but also for this child who had no other memories up to this point—not even her name.

"I used the spell on her and, at first, it seemed to be working. I felt the magic power envelope me—felt it reach out and… cocoon this girl inside. But…"

"There's always a 'but,'" Natsu grumbled.

" _But_ , when she pulled out of the memory…" a shudder ran up Ultear's spine, "her face was absolutely traumatized. Silent tears spilled from her cheeks, and her hands clawed at her arms as if desperately trying to rip something from her skin."

"What did she see?" Erza asked quietly, face pale.

Ultear shook her head. "Like I said, I am unable to say… but, I can say this: there are some things that are not meant to be remembered. Sometimes, our minds use memory to protect us from past traumas, from the things that are too terrible to live through a second time."

"That's why you didn't want to help us," Lucy realized. "You were afraid that would happen to us."

"Partly, yes," Ultear agreed, "but also, Arc of Time is a dangerous magic that, if not performed perfectly, can have fatal consequences. That wasn't the case with this girl, but… perhaps there are fates even worse than death."

Lucy shuddered at the words. "What do you mean by that?"

Ultear fixed her with a look; there was an urgency in her gaze. "The last words that child ever spoke were, 'I remember'." Ultear paused, then her voice broke as she added, "That was seven years ago."

A collective gasp filled the room.

"You mean…" Natsu coughed, "she hasn't said a word in _seven years_?"

Ultear shook her head. "Not a single syllable. I keep tabs on her—my friend gives me updates—and so far she has shown no progress in her current state."

"Which is…?" Erza asked.

"She has been in a catatonic state. She cannot feed, clothe or bathe herself. She doesn't speak. She doesn't walk. My friend once accidentally spilled some hot soup on her but she had no reaction to the pain."

"That's…" Mira trailed off, unable to finish the thought. Tears were running down her cheeks now.

"Horrible," Lucy finished, brushing away her own tears. "But, I still need to see, Ultear. I need to see what happened in my past and how it brought me to where I am now."

"Me too," Natsu agreed. Lucy glanced up at him. He wasn't crying, but there was a hard determination in his gaze. The hand he still had around her waist had tightened, fingers clenched around the fabric of her shirt. "It's fucked up what happened to that little girl," he said, "but I won't let that happen to Lucy. I'll be there to protect her."

"Do you think _time_ cares about things like friendship, loyalty, soul bonds?" Ultear scoffed. "Time simply _is._ We are all slaves to time. Arc of Time really is an arc, with a keystone that holds everything together. Time isn't like a thread unspooling behind you, it's more like a body of water. You don't look back along time but are plunged into it, sometimes face first. And memories are like dreams: sometimes you wake up gently, other times gasping for air."

Natsu clenched his other fist, this time igniting a flame in his anger. "I don't give a damn about time! I'll protect my friends. Time can go to hell!"

"Natsu…" Lucy choked out, fresh tears pooling in her eyes at his determination.

"Calm down, my boy," Makarov gently chided. "There's no need to get so worked up."

"I'll help you," Ultear began slowly before Natsu could react, "but I need time to research this further, and your bodies need time to recover."

Lucy shook her head, trying to comprehend all that had happened to her. On the one hand, she felt exhausted, on the other, she wanted to go see Celia instantly, to reassure her, somehow. It was all too complicated.

"How long before we can go back?" Natsu asked.

"Can we stay for longer next time? There's so much I need to know." Lucy's thirst for knowledge, for understanding, was overriding any sense of caution.

Ultear raised one eyebrow at the small blonde mage in front of her. "The Celia you met is like an echo of Celia's real self."

"What do you mean?"

"I can only bring you to your past lives a certain number of times," Ultear told them. "Your souls are connected through time but I cannot resurrect the dead. The first time you go back is always the strongest, but like an echo, each visit will get shorter and fainter, until eventually you won't be able to hear or see your past lives at all."

"Bummer," Gray said flatly, not looking the least bit concerned.

Natsu looked ready to punch him in the mouth with a flaming fist, but Lucy laid a restraining hand over his arm. "So what does that mean, exactly?" Lucy asked.

"It means," Ultear said, "that each memory you go into takes a little more out of you. Your body can only handle so much, Lucy. The memories won't last as long and you will remember less each time you come back," Ultear said gravely. "Also, you will become _less_ of yourself."

"What are you blabbering on about _now_?"Natsu was just about at his breaking point, between this Arc of Time threatening Lucy, the crowdedness of the confined space that was making his nose itch, and the way this Ultear was acting like the harbinger of death.

"The more Lucy goes back, the more of Celia she'll bring back with her," Ultear finished succinctly.

"I don't want that!" Natsu blurted out. "I want _you."_

"What about Natsu, will he bring more of Luk back each time?" Lucy asked.

"No, he's fine," Ultear snapped irritably. "I don't know why exactly, but he's not affected the way you, and everyone else I have helped, have been, but he also won't remember much of what he saw. For Natsu, it will be like waking from an unpleasant dream; trying to capture those memories will be jumbled, thoughts turned slippery as water through hands. Sending him back in time as anything other than a reminder of your soul bond with him is useless. The longer you go back in time, the further your soul is 'stretched' and Natsu, as your soulmate, can use your bond to remind you to go home.

"However, each time you come back, the rebound of your soul will be more painful—more scar tissue will form," Ultear continued darkly. "That scar on your soul is your past life. You want to embrace Celia, but if you're not careful, she will take over your bond. She is a soul without a body right now, and she was too surprised to think of what that meant when you first came to her. Next time, she might not be so ill-prepared.

"I will concede to sending you back once more and only once more, anything other than that is far too dangerous."

"Thank you, Ultear—"

"Do not thank me yet, Lucy. You have not seen the things that I have seen; experienced things that I have. Those moments in time… they may be hidden from you for a reason. You must keep that in mind."

 _There are some things that are not meant to be remembered._ Lucy recalled the words Ultear had spoken earlier. Maybe there were things in her past that she didn't want to remember, but that didn't mean she didn't _need_ to.

"I think it's worth the risk," she decided at last.

"I think so too," Natsu agreed, unhesitantly.

Ultear gave a resigned sigh. "Very well. If you will not heed my warning, I suppose I have no other choice. After all this is _your_ life, not mine. I don't have a say in how you choose to remember, or how you don't."

Lucy wasn't sure what that meant exactly but decided not to press the issue further. "Thank you," she said instead.

Ultear sighed again, expression grim as she stared at the clock on her wall. "Time is a delicate thing…" she murmured, more to herself than to them. "There's so much of it, yet at the same time none at all. It can be gone in a flash—eradicated in the blink of an eye—as if it was never there to begin with." She turned back to them with a sad smile. "I think we could all use some time to rest," she said, clearly dismissing them from her home. The group thanked Ultear for her help and slowly made their way outside.

"Now what?" Lucy wondered aloud when the group was a ways from the cottage.

Natsu gave her hand a tug, pulling her to a stop. He leaned down and whispered in her ear. "Now, we get the hell away from these freaks." She arched an eyebrow at him in suspicion. He grinned. "Come on, let's go for a walk. I wanna talk to you."

* * *

 **A/N:** So... what did we think of our first co-written chapter of FTH? I think it turned out pretty amazing! Special thanks to _MorriganFae_ for helping me write this, you're awesome! XD

Alright, guys, who can tell me who was the girl in Ultear's story? Let's see how many of you can guess correctly.

 **Grizzly98** , Aaaaan even more to take in XD

 **NekoSkittles** , Hi there! I've seen your name around, good to see you on this story! Thanks so much for your support, it means so much to me that you took the time to not only read TOF but this one as well. I hope this chapter made up for my terrible updating as of late!

 _By: xSteleAliniax and MorriganFae_


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